Questions and Answers
by Azrael.N
Summary: Tai has returned to Earth 7 years after his death to complete his training. Earthlings have always annoyed him but he's now forced to live among them to find the answer to a question he hasn't been asked. Whereas Gohan has to try and live a normal life in Orange City but Videl makes that almost impossible. They have to help each other out to achieve their goals.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Find his own answer

Tai peered out into the space, witnessing the stars fly by as bright white and yellow streaks. He stood with his arms folded, lips pressed into a firm frown, whilst tapping impatiently at his elbow. The journey was taking longer he would have liked, and the stale air was starting to make his nose itch.

His annoyance didn't last for much longer, since he finally arrived at his destination. Earth, a planet he briefly called home, one which he was bafflingly willing to die for once. But now he glowered at the blue rock, seemingly unimpressed with its appearance.

"You must find clarity. Only then can you master all that I have to teach you."

Tai turned to the voice and maintained his indifference. "Yeah, yeah whatever," Tai scowled. "Your idea won't work. I won't find the answer on this stupid ball of dirt."

The man sighed, silently admitting defeat in the matter. Tai wasn't going to agree but he knew Tai would listen. "Well there's only one way to find out," the master tapped his staff and they continued their descent into Earth's atmosphere.

"Should I introduce myself to your friends?"

"No, they'll ask too many questions and I don't think explaining to them what you are will go down well."

"Fair enough, you know how to reach me if you need to. And remember the training exercises I showed you. You can do them to keep in shape and perform mantras to train your mental strength."

"Yes master," Tai bowed respectfully. He didn't always agree with his master, but he hasn't been wrong once in the last 7 years.

Tai's training has stifled in recent months, and it irked him considerably. He made great strides not only in strength but also ki control, although that wasn't optional. If he didn't learn to control it, he would have destroyed himself. And now his own will bertrayed. He can't proceed with the last stage of his training until he can strengthen his will and accept the path he has chosen.

 _But I have accepted it. It's what I've trained for and it's what I was destined to become. There isn't a doubt in my mind. However, my master doesn't see it_

When Tai turned around, his master was gone, and he was alone. He had often been in this position, floating high above, presiding over a planet with authority while the cold bites at his skin. Instinctively found himself aiming his palm towards the earth, only to be stopped by the screams of a bird flying towards him.

"Ok, so what am I going to do now. Finding clarity is pretty vague. Going to West City is out of the question, same goes for Kame House, Paozu mountains and wherever Yamcha is. I could look for Tien but I never really got along with him. Piccolo and Dende can keep their mouths shut about me so I guess I should start there."

-X-

"There's no need to fear, the Great Saiyaman is here!" Gohan boomed, after punching through the wall, much to the chagrin of the bank robbers.

Gohan supressed a smile upon hearing radio covering the bank robbery he foiled before school started. He saw a group of police cars outside the bank, so naturally he descended from the clouds to check in. Once fully informed he took care of the situation.

While he was proud of his heroism, it was the reason he was late to school, again, and if he kept racking up late stamps his mother was going to kill him. Chi-Chi had just started softening up and he'd hate to potentially ruin things for Goten.

He walked into class bearing his now signature sheepish grin, mumbled an apology and marched to his seat beside Erasa.

"Let me guess, your alarm didn't work," Sharpener drawled.

"Leave him alone Sharpie," Erasa lightly smacked his arm.

Gohan ignored the pair, casually taking out his books. He focused on what the teacher was saying for a little bit before noticing something oddly concerning. He felt comfortable in class. He wasn't looking over his shoulder or sweating bullets, he could relax.

"Where's Videl," he immediately asks Erasa.

"She got a call about a bank robbery at the edge of the city."

Without realising it, Gohan's eyes widened. _She's not gonna like this._

And right on queue Videl stormed into the classroom. She huffed an apology before stomping over to her seat and sitting down with a frustrated groan.

"What crawled up your butt?" Sharpener asked.

She glared at the blonde menacingly. Sharpener got the hint and kept his mouth shut. "I'll tell you guys later."

-X-

 _Piccolo was surprised to see me at first, but he quickly adjusted. People coming back to life wasn't shocking anymore, so he thought nothing of it. Dende on the other hand was far more curious about how I was still breathing. I avoided his questions artfully until he got the hint that it wasn't his business._

"Where's Kakarot," Tai asked. "I can't sense him anywhere on this planet, is he training with King Kai?"

Piccolo's lips pressed into a hard scowl, regarding Tai with some sorrow. "Goku was killed by Cell."

Something inside Tai's chest suddenly felt a jolt of pain, like he had been pierced by a death beam. "That's impossible. I was there when he blew up."

As Tai recalled during the Cell Games, Gohan wanted the android to suffer and refused to finish Cell off. Then it was too late, Cell became a giant bomb and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Tai acted quickly, using instant transmission to get Cell away from earth.

"A lot happened after you died. Cell used my cells to regenerate and came back to earth. In the end it came down to a beam struggle between Cell and Gohan. Gohan was badly injured from saving Vegeta. Goku grabbed Cell from behind and let Gohan kill him and Cell," the namekian explained.

"And Kakarot has already been wished back once so Shenron can't bring him back," Tai surmised. "So, Trunks came back to save Kakarot, and he still died in the end," he sighed. _Some things are just meant to be I guess._

"Tai, I'm happy you're back, and I know you don't want to talk about what happened to you but… why come back now?" Dende inquired.

"I need to get stronger, and I need to answer a question," Tai replied evasively.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm here to train Dende," Tai snapped.

Piccolo observed Tai as he argued with Earth's guardian. The first thing he noticed was his attire. It wasn't like anything he had ever seen, and more ostentatious than he would normally expect from the boy. He wore black tights, with black namekian like shoes, a blue belt with a long black loincloth adorned with a yellow border as well as orange and white diamond shapes and a blue vest with a similar pattern. To top it off he wore a gold cuff bracelet on one hand and another just above the elbow of his other arm.

"I know you don't like the questions but you can't blame us for being curious. Just answer two things for me and we'll stop being nosy."

Dende glared at Piccolo, he wasn't a fan of being spoken for, but he still nodded in agreement. "Fine."

"Where did you get your get up? I think the old man came across someone wearing the same thing," he asked referencing his shared memories with Kami.

"My master gave it to me. I grew out of my old clothes, so he gave me these ones," Tai answered, careful not to reveal too much about his training or his master. He eyed Piccolo with suspicion, feeling that the namekian had a vague idea what Tai was hiding.

"Hmm, I guess you're not going to give me more than that are you," Piccolo smirked.

"And what's the 2nd."

"Are you bringing trouble with you?"

Tai involuntarily twitched his nose at the question. _It may one day be this planet. But I need it for now so…_

"No, at least not for now," Tai responded, he didn't need to look at them to know he had to elaborate on that one. "Trouble follows this planet. You never know when something could pop up."

Piccolo was satisfied with Tai's answers for now and didn't press any further. He even helped Tai with some meditation exercises while Dende returned to monitoring the Earth.

-X-

"Okay class today we'll be playing football," Mr Fields announced. A chorus of cheers erupted from the guys in the class. Football was very popular in Hercule City, especially after Orange Star won the world cup.

"Let's mix it up this time. Instead of Videl and Sharpener being captains, we'll have Erasa and Marker chose the teams."

"I chose Videl!" Erasa shouted quickly.

' _Of course, she does'_ Videl thought as she took to her best friends' side. They usually ended up on the same team, especially when it came to sports that Erasa was bad at.

The raven-haired crime fighter turned her attention to Gohan. Sharpener told her that he was late as well, which only increased her suspicion. She was in a bad mood after rushing to the other side of the city to stop a bank robbery, only to find out that Saiyaman took care of everything.

Saiyaman annoyed her to no end. Whether it was his stupid dancing, his ridiculous poses, his over the top voice or his unexplainable super powers. Everything about him irked her very core. He rendered her unneeded and expendable, a feeling she refused to acknowledge. She was also worried about what would happen if he got bored being a hero and decided to go on a rampage.

The costumed nerd arrived the same week as Gohan, and he also arrived the same day that the Golden Fighter emerged. None of that was coincidental. Then there were the lies he told, like what he did as a kid, what his parents do, how he gets to school and even his age. Everything about him was a lie and Videl hated it.

"…. Hey I know he's cute but you're making it awkward." Erasa whispered, derailing Videl's train of thought.

It took her a moment to realise that she had zoned out staring at Gohan. Her cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink as she walked to her team's side of the pitch.

"Great we have Gohan…" Videl mumbled under her breath. Unbeknownst to her he heard her annoyed tone. "Have you read about this sport?" she asked.

Gohan shook his head. "Just great, go in goal. Just stop the ball from going into the goal." She instructed annoyedly before taking the centre forward position.

Gohan stood outside of penalty area with his arms folded and stared at the ground thoughtfully. _I can't show how fast I really am otherwise people would freak out. Videl's suspected me being Saiyaman for a while now and if I stop every shot that comes my way she'll hound me even more. But if I throw this game then she'll kill me._

"Got you," Sharpener yelled before shooting straight from kick off.

"Gohan look out," Videl called out as the ball had already gone over Gohan's head.

Sharpener sent the half breed a sneer, finally triumphant over the nerd. He didn't like the fact that Erasa seemed to be forcing Gohan on their little friendship group and made little secret of it. He turned around already high fiving Marker.

Videl had cursed at the young saiyan soon after Sharpeners shot. She didn't want him on her team because she knew he would cost her the game. She hated losing, but she despised losing to Sharpener of all people.

She expected to see the scoreboard say 1-0 but it remained unchanged at 0-0. Mr Fields eyes popped out of his head looking at Gohan, as did Sharpeners entire team. The only person who didn't seem at all surprised by what happened was Erasa who wore a knowing smirk.

Gohan had ran to the goal line and simply caught the ball before it even reached the 6-yard box.

"H-he just covered 20 yards in half a second," Marker stuttered.

His awe and fear was shared by the majority of the class. "I need to get me some of them shoes," Mr Fields uttered.

-X-

Tai's master observed the Earth from his planet while preparing himself some food. He frowned at his what his student was doing. Tai needed to interact with the earthlings and find his own answer to the question his master hadn't asked him. _Tai's scope is too narrow and painted by his past. He must figure out the question and answer for himself. Otherwise he will never truly accept what he's been taught._

* * *

 **A/N- Thanks for reading the first chapter.**

 **This is my first DBZ story and one that's been knocking around my head for a while. I'll try and update it once a week.**

 **For clarity's sake**

 **\- Tai is a saiyan and he's the same age as Gohan. I'll reveal his past gradually in later chapters but I'm guessing it's kinda obvious who his master is.**

 **\- Goku and Vegeta will make their appearance in later chapters**

 **-This story won't cover much of the Buu saga (It'll make sense when you learn more about Tai) and it will end at around Battle of Gods**

 **Please review**

 **It's always good to know what people think or what improvements I can make.**

 **I'm also looking for a beta in case anyone is interested.**


	2. Poor choice of words

Chapter 2- Poor choice of words

2 days later.

Tai and Piccolo had spent the day meditating yesterday and doing image battles to sharpen their minds. Piccolo was impressed by how much Tai had improved. The saiyan was far brasher, quick to anger and too impatient to appreciate these mental exercises before the Cell Games and now he was able to best the namekian.

On his part, Tai was just as impressed by Piccolo. He was a much better fighter than he remembered and the array of techniques he could perform far outstripped his own. Both warriors learned from one another and in doing so, earned each other's respect.

"You must be hungry by now, Tai," Dende finally spoke. He was used to silence but having Tai around made him uncomfortable, something about the saiyan had changed profoundly and he couldn't put his finger on it. He had an aura around him, one which he felt he should know.

"I'm fine, I took a handful of senzu beans from Korin."

"You know you're not meant to eat them exclusively. If your body gets too used to them, then they lose their effectiveness or worse."

"Won't my cells become self-replenishing, so I won't need to take them anymore."

"No, they would just constantly grow. That's fine when they're repairing damage, but if your perfectly fine then there's going to be a problem. Cells would start growing when they shouldn't and at a faster rate. It would become cancerous."

Tai pondered what Dende said, before deciding it made sense. "You have a point. So is there any food around here."

"Only water. We don't eat," Piccolo responded.

"What about Mr. Po-"

"Don't mention his name," Dende hushed. "He went out into space to find-"

"Dende!" Piccolo shouted. The bigger namekians jaw became set and his eyes warned his protégé.

"Remember the pecking order… remember the pecking order," Dende recited.

"He isn't here right now, so no there isn't any food or anyone to make it," Piccolo said.

"You mean I have to go down there," Tai sighed pointing down at the Earth. _I shouldn't mingle with simple earthlings. But I'm starving right now._

"You could go to West City, I'm sure Bulma- "

"I'm not going to West City…" Tai said with an air of finality. She'd ask too many questions for the saiyans liking, and unlike Piccolo she wouldn't rest until he'd answered her questions. "That goes double for Chi-Chi's place."

"You should go to a city. Your appetite would be a huge strain on the nearby villages," Dende suggested.

"Hercule City and North City are closest, but both are on the other side of the world," Piccolo added.

"I'll decide when I'm flying."

"You know you can't kill anyone right," Dende reminded, making Tai roll his eyes.

"You're going to standout like a sore thumb in that getup," Piccolo stated.

Tai looked at what he wore and remembered the looks he got when he walked around in saiyan armour. He didn't want to stand out and he didn't want anything to help anyone identify him as one of the saiyans from the Cell Games.

"I don't know what people wear on this planet. You're the guardian, you should know."

"Yes, I know what people in those regions wear," Dende replied before resuming his watch.

Tai waited for the guardian to use his clothes beam to give him something to wear. However, he didn't expect to be ignored by the normally giving namekian.

"What are you waiting for?"

"I could ask you the same thing?" Dende retorted without looking back at Tai.

The saiyan knew that Dende wanted him to make the request politely. Please was a word that Tai despised, he viewed it as a step below begging, something that was below saiyans. After years of begging, pleading and wounding his sizable pride, he refused to plead for anything short of life itself.

He took the cape off as well as the golden accessories and charged down to Earth at super sonic speeds, uprooting the trees nearest to him as well as some of the lookout's tiles.

"Saiyan's and their pride," Piccolo chuckled.

-X-

Gohan stared at the clock anxiously. He had to resist the urge to tap his feet for fear of causing another earthquake panic. It was physics and the teacher was prattling on about Parsecs and red shift, topics Gohan had covered years ago, and the demi-saiyan was bored. If there was one part of the day he looked forward to without fail it was always lunch.

He got his wish fulfilled when the bell rang, and students made a beeline for the door. He picked up his books and joined the rest in a rush to get to his usual eating spot.

"You know it's weird. I don't think I've ever seen Gohan in the cafeteria or anywhere around school during lunch," Erasa pondered.

"So, what?" Sharpener dismissed.

"I just thought it would be nice to eat with him, he does seem kind of lonely."

"Isn't that his thing. He doesn't try and talk to anyone."

"Remember we tried to get him to join our group," Videl added.

"Yeah and then you scared him off with your rudeness," Erasa clapped back. "You were breathing down the poor guys neck, no wonder why he doesn't hang out with us."

"He is hiding something Erasa. He lies to us all of the time and he's horrible at it."

"Maybe he would have told us if you weren't trying to force it out of him."

"Why are we talking about the nerd when we should be getting our food," Sharpener interrupted whilst nudging his friends towards the canteen.

Meanwhile on the school roof, Gohan was tearing through his lunch. It looked like a crash site, Tupperware containers littered the place, along with loose chicken bones and grains of rice. Gohan was so busy tearing through his food that he didn't notice a pair of people walk through the door.

To be fair to him, they didn't notice either seeing as they were making out and they needed to be somewhere a bit more secluded. The man pressed the girl against the wall rather forcefully and she let a slight moan escape her lips, which again wasn't picked up by Gohan. He had his back to the door.

It's only when her eyes bulge open that the man realises they aren't alone. She pointed at Gohan and rushed towards the door, scraping her arm against the concrete wall leaving the man behind. He stomped up to the demi-saiyan, not caring to avoid stepping on the lunch containers and he shouted.

"Hey, boy! What are you doing up here?"

This finally grabbed Gohan's attention from his food and he stared at the newcomer with innocent eyes. "I'm eating my lunch, Mr. Moore."

Moore looked at the vast number of lunch boxes and containers in disbelief. "There's no way you ate this all by yourself. Who else was with you?"

"No one sir, I always eat lunch alone."

"I don't believe you boy. This is enough food for a family. Don't go thinking you're some kind of cool kid by covering for your friends. You're prohibited from being up here during school hours."

Gohan blinked innocently, no one had him about that, "I didn't know."

"Tell me who else was here and I'll take it easy on you."

Upon hearing the threat, Gohan mentally chuckled. He knew he could snap the man in half by simply flicking him, but he wasn't going to harm anyone that was doing their jobs.

"I promise, this is all my food."

Moore scowled at Gohan. He pegged him as a nerdy student who could easily bend to teachers demands, but he never suspected that he would be loyal enough to his friends to receive punishment.

"OK… you have 30 minutes detention," Moore declared before turning on his heel and walking towards the stairs. He did a quick look around to see if anyone was hiding before heading down the stairs. _That's the most I can give him for now. I need to find out what he knows, and I need to act quickly._

-X-

Something drew Tai to Hercule City, but he wasn't sure what. When he landed on the edge of the city limits he stared at the massive statue of Hercule in amusement. _It's amazing, his entire reputation is based on a lie and he accepts it with little shame. Has he no pride._

He walked through the city streets, getting a general feel for the region. Unlike West City, the buildings here were rectangular and long, and without the tubes to help with transport, traffic was a nightmare in the city.

"We shall not, we shall not be moved…" a group of people sang in front of a run-down building. The police had gathered outside to make sure things didn't become violent.

Tai chose to ignore it and keep on moving forward. He peered across and alleyway filled with people and noticed a convenience store. He was getting antsy, epic hunger for saiyans made them very irritable, particularly for pure bloods like Tai.

He proceeded to walk through the alley, even though there were people inside it. A large man was busy punching down at an elderly dogman with glee. "HAHAHAHA."

The dogman squealed helplessly as he was getting walleyed and his eye looked like it had been crushed by the mans fist. Blood had rushed down his face and marred his shirt, along with the fur from his forehead. His nose was cut badly and many of his teeth littered the ground.

The large man was accompanied by two smaller men, however what the men lacked in size they made up for with guns. The police weren't too far from the scene and people could see what was happening, yet no one alerted the police or even dared to look at them. They ran this town with an iron fist.

Tai strolled through the alley with his arms folded and eyes half open. He heard a civillian warn him to turn around, but he ignored them since this was the fastest route to the shop. Besides, he knew these men were no threat to him.

The giants laugh must have drowned out Tai's footsteps because the two gunmen didn't notice Tai's presence until he was 5 ft away from them. "Hey kid, get lost."

Still undeterred, Tai continued his leisurely stroll without pause. This irked gunmen, who stepped in front of Tai. "Unless you want to end up like these freaks," he gestured towards the crying dogman, along with the two catmen lying lifeless on the floor beside them. "You're going to turn around and forget what you saw."

Looking at the three bodies Tai was unimpressed. _Idiots,_ he thought to himself before shrugging and carrying on as if nothing had happened. However, this time he brushed past the gunman.

"Are you just gonna take that Pat," the giant teased.

"No, I ain't," he replied before aiming the gun at Tai's back. "Listen up kid. Clearly you're new around here otherwise you'd know about the Red Shark Gang."

"Who?" Tai finally acknowledged the group.

"You're gonna find out. There ain't no way you're leaving this alley in one piece. If you don't wanna die. Beg for your life," Joey cocked his gun and pressed it firmly against Tai's back.

The saiyan briefly remembered an earlier time in his life. He had often been at the mercy of those much stronger than him. He was heavily punished for the smallest transgressions and always treading carefully so as not to get killed. This way of living may normally mould someone to be quiet but this made his saiyan blood boil, both at the humiliation and damage to his pride, but also the way he lived.

Eyes closed, fists clenched, muscles tensed, and teeth gritted, signs of tremendous restraint on Tai's part. His ki rose sharply, and he opened his eye revealing his seafoam coloured pupils.

"Poor choice of words," Tai growled.

-X-

The school day was officially over, and kids were making their way home. Videl and Erasa were no exception, Sharpener had boxing practice. Erasa had dragged Videl to the city centre, much to the crimefighters chagrin. Shopping with Erasa was more draining than training or fighting criminals and it took longer.

"This is good for you," the blonde smiled warmly.

"This is a form of torture and you know it," Videl scowled.

"You just don't know how to have fun."

"I know how to have fun. My life is full of fun stuff."

"You spend most of your time either fighting crime or training. You're only young once and I refuse to let my best friend waste it."

"I train to get stronger and I fight crime because this city is dangerous and needs protection."

"I'm sure the city can go a few hours without your help. Besides Saiyaman can handle it while you have fun."

A low growl from Videl made Erasa raise her hand apologetically. "Sorry, didn't mean to say the 'S' word," she said playfully.

Videl let out a low growl before ranting. "Rase, you know this guy is a fraud don't you. He uses flashy explosives and tricks to fight crime, one day he might seriously hurt someone. And he has no accountability to anyone, if he injures and attacks anyone, he won't be arrested or tried. Once I figure out who he is, then he can't hide from the world anymore."

"You need a break from your, oh so noble, crusade and relax with your best friend, or is there someone else you'd rather spend some alone time with," the blonde wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Whatchu talkin about Willis?" Videl squinted her eyes in suspicion at her best friend, drawing a mild chuckle.

"Maybe it's a certain tall, spiky haired, cute nerd that you can't keep your eyes off," she winked.

Videl scoffed at the idea after considering it for all of 2 seconds. "First off, no! secondly how did I go from hating him at lunch to crushing on him after school."

"They aren't mutually exclusive."

"Someone's been paying attention in our statistics class," Videl teased just as they arrived at Juaquin's, a popular burrito place in the town center. They placed their orders before claiming a table near the exit.

"Don't change the subject."

"What about the weird marks on Angela's arm. Looks like she was dragged along the floor," Videl said, hoping they'd stop talking about her interest in Gohan.

"Maybe she's into some freaky stuff…" Erasa trailed off, before shaking her head, "Nice try, back to Gohan."

Videl's head dropped to the table. "Isn't it weird that Saiyaman shows up the same week as Gohan. Not to mention the Gold Fighter, who was also wearing the same thing as Gohan," she said as she raised her head.

"…" Erasa had opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Videl's continued rant.

"Yes I know that Gohan has black hair, but remember the Cell games. The two guys wearing the blue suits could make turn blonde, and they could fly just like the reports of the Gold Fighter."

Erasa looked at Videl with a pleasant smile while taking in Videl's stream of consciousness and nodded along when appropriate and occasionally asking questions to keep her on her roll. It was a dance that Erasa rarely did with Videl, but one she had made an art form in almost every aspect of her life. She was very good at getting people to open up and get comfortable with her, all it took was pushing the right buttons.

Videl was so entranced by her diatribe that she didn't notice Biro standing at her side, trying to gain her attention, with Casey dragging her feet behind in tow. Erasa snapped her fingers in front of Videl who scrunched her nose at the break in her train of thought.

"Videl," Biro snapped.

The sound of her voice made Videl cringe. "What do you want?"

"People are screaming and causing a panic, it's ruining my vibe."

"Did they see you without makeup."

"No, they imagined what you look like naked and they're clawing their eyes out," Biro countered.

"Ha, burn," Pencilcase laughed.

"Now chop-chop, they've closed off part of the market I was going to shop at," Biro clapped as she walked away.

"Wouldn't be the first time a clap made you burn," Erasa added.

-X-

Tai stepped out of the broken glass with a satisfied burp, shaking lose shards of glass from his newly acquired hoody. After dealing with the thugs in the alleyway he took one of their hoodies and trainers before having a feast in the convenience store. The hoodie was black with a red shark over his heart and RSG printed on the pack. Stretching his arms out calmly, he noticed the small crowd of people eying him fearfully.

"The food here may be the thing I missed the most," Tai said, picking out some chicken from in between his teeth before walking away from the crowd. "What are you looking at?" he challenged the crowd, making some disperse.

Police sirens boomed through the air from all directions. A cold sensation ran through his body, not from the sirens, but a familiar power level coming towards him far slower than he expected. _Why didn't they tell me that Krillin was in this city, I would've gone to North City instead. If he see's me then Chi-Chi and Bulma are bound to find out._

"You killed him!" someone shouted from the direction of the shop. There stood a tall, burly man with shaggy hair. _He must be friends with those idiots I knocked out in the alleyway._

"I beat the crap out of them." _These earthlings are pathetic if that's all it takes to kill them._

"You're a murderer!"

The crowed began to murmur animatedly, pointing at Tai and the man making these accusations. The saiyan turned around and eyed the human. _If the someone is dead then they'll send helicopters after me, and if I fly too fast I'll be sensed out. I'd better use instant transmission, somewhere secluded just to be safe. If they tell Krillin how I disappeared using he might ask Dende or Piccolo what's up._

Tai, suddenly grateful for his hoody, ran at normal human speeds towards the area with fewest power levels and without any cameras.

During his run he noticed that there was a power level following him. It was significantly stronger than other humans but still much weaker than any of the Z-Fighters. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Tai ran into another alleyway and waited for the person to find him.

"Over here," Tai shouted into the street then he felt the power coming closer.

He eyed the girl with minor interest. _This little thing is what was following me. She's short, athletic and carries herself with authority I'll give her that. But she's still weak._

"Who are you?"

"You have some nerve. First you kill an old man, then make everyone go after you in a manhunt and now you're trying to get answers out of me."

 _The people I beat up couldn't be much older than Vegeta. Maybe humans don't live that long._

"Yes."

Videl scrunched her nose in anger and charged straight at Tai, releasing an onslaught of punches and kicks that would take any normal person down. However, Tai was dodging everyone of them with ease. _This one has a lot of anger within her._

"You don't stand a chance against me, so just answer my quest-"

Tai didn't get an opportunity to finish, since a fist came perilously close to his jaw, if not for his reflexes she might have landed it. Constantly lowering his power level meant that she might be able to bruise him if she gets in a good hit.

Without missing a beat, she used her leg to sweep Tai from behind, but the saiyan again dodged her attack and back flipped to safety. "Impressive, you're better than I thought you'd be."

She grabbed a nearby trash can and hurled it straight at Tai's chest, he responded by catching it and using it to block the punch she had aimed at his neck. Once he chucked it away, he saw that her hand was bleeding profusely, and it was limp. _Looks like her left hand is useless now_. She growled loudly, the sound oozing pain and rage.

"You don't give up do you,"

"Would just SHUT UP!" she shouted, then she charged at Tai again.

 _Interesting, even without her hand she hasn't let up, in fact she seems even faster._ Tai moved behind her before trapping her good arm. "I told you, I'm too strong for you," he warned, but she tried to shove an elbow into his abdomen, which he caught. "It's not my problem if you break anything else."

A shock went through the saiyans entire body and his head snapped in the direction of the source. His muscles were tensed, jaw set and his heart jolted with the shock of the familiar sensation. _What's he doing here, Dende and Piccolo should have told me they were both here. At least now I know why I was drawn in this direction. It's strange sensing their kind of ki again._

In his lapse in concentration, Videl nailed Tai the elbow of her bad arm, the shock was enough to make the saiyan let go of her. She gladly took the opportunity to create some distance between them and also block the only means of exit.

"Move!" Tai demanded.

"Make me," Videl smirked defiantly, despite favouring the left hand side of her body. _Who am I kidding, I can barely stand. The sirens are getting closer, I just have to hold him here until back up arrives._

Tai looked towards the sky and turned to the sound of the sirens. _Dammit, they're both going to be here in seconds… The streets aren't optional, too many witnesses, flying full speed would raise my power and it might draw the attention of more than just Gohan or Krillin. I could use my other ki, but I told my master I wouldn't use it needlessly._

"Poor choice of words," Tai snarled before going to punch her on her left side, Videl was prepared for an attack on her injured side, what she wasn't expecting was the feint. Tai then moved to her right leg and delivered a restrained kick at her calf.

"AAARGH!" Videl screamed, collapsing to her right side. Tai sensed one of the approaching ki's spike considerably after hearing that and increased his speed. Tai knew he had run out of time. No longer caring about the sole witness he placed two fingers to his forehead and within seconds he was back at the lookout.

"Miss Videl," Gohan called in his Saiyaman voice. Concern created wrinkles in his facial features as he regarded the teenage crime fighter. _Who could have done this to her? I couldn't sense anyone else._

Her hand is bleeding, but it wasn't broken, the same couldn't be said about her leg. The attack she had suffered seemed to resulted in major bone damage in her shin. Gohan had a good understanding of human anatomy, but healing and treatment weren't his forte.

"It's not that bad," she bit back some of the pain.

The display of pride drew a wry smile from Gohan _, sometimes she's more saiyan than me_. "I'm sure it doesn't."

"Where's the perp?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he replied, but his visor hid his furrowed eye brows.

"What!?" she bellowed and tried to get up to face the direction which her attacker took off. She immediately regretted it. "Oww," she winced, her body reminding her left hand was hurt.

"Hey, don't move, you're hurt," Gohan warned in a soft tone, now dropping the Saiyaman voice. Videl would never admit it but hearing his 'non-superhero' voice did soothe her.

It was at that second that the police had arrived and noticed how badly injured Videl was. It almost leads to them shooting Saiyaman but Videl managed to deescalate the situation. She told them that she had didn't know what the man looked like since he wore a hoodie and managed to keep his face covered during their encounter. The hood had the Red Shark Gang symbol on it so it was safe to say they were involved.

While being carried into the ambulance she noted something odd. Saiyaman was talking to the police. _He's real friendly with that officer and they've been speaking for a while now. He's not doing any of his goofy posturing or his general Saiyadork mannerisms, in fact he's relaxed. I'm going to have a little talk with that officer, it might be my first lead in a while._

* * *

 ** _A/N_**

 ** _I'll try and update once a week_**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed the chapter_**


	3. These mortals make no sense

Chapter 3- These mortals make no sense.

"One thing, I told you one thing! Don't kill anyone so what's the first thing you do when you touch down!" Dende seethed at obviously disinterested Saiyan.

"I didn't," Tai replied for the third time, this time he didn't bother hiding his exasperation.

Upon his return to the lookout he asked Piccolo why Gohan and Krillin were in Hercule City. Piccolo explained what they had been up to in the previous 7 years, and even chuckled when telling him about Gohan's school life. Then this argument began.

"Then explain what happened,"

Tai shook his head, "I want to go back."

Dende dropped his staff at not only the saiyans complete irreverence to Earth's guardian, but also the blatant disregard for the seriousness of his actions. "Are you kidding me?"

Tai waited impatiently for Dende's answer. Piccolo stepped in between the pair. He glared at Tai sternly and the saiyan returned one with as much confusion as intensity.

"Both of you stay calm," big green instructed. "What happened back there?"

"I went to grab something to eat, when I was done someone accused me of killing someone, then authorities showed up. I tried to escape but an earthling tried to stop me," Tai said, he caught on to Dende's expression at the end of the sentence and immediately added "So I fractured her leg, got out of her sight and came here."

Piccolo listened in on the saiyans heart and didn't notice any changes in its pace. Besides that, Tai was a bad liar to begin with. Lying was a skill beaten out of him as a child. "He's telling truth."

"Do you know who died."

"The only people I fought were earthlings in an alleyway. I might have killed them."

"You shouldn't have engaged them. You know your strength."

"I practically tapped them, and they flew into the wall. It's not my fault they're weak."

Dende's grip on his staff grew so strong it started to chip at the wood, likewise the strength of his glare and tension in his chest grew to a boiling point. His usual calm demeanour evaporated with the heat of his rage as he stomped over to Tai, before jabbing his staff into the saiyans chest. "Listen here you spoiled, arrogant, conceited brat. Life is sacred and should be respected. I work hard every day to keep the Earth from being destroyed by the earthling's greed, stupidity and lack of compassion. I don't need to saiyans making things worse."

Tai rolled his eyes at Dende's rant, and that was the final straw of the normally relaxed guardian.

"Get off the lookout," he demanded.

"What!?" Piccolo and Tai replied in unison. Though Tai's was coated with amusement rather than shock.

"I said leave. If you're going to undermine my work, then you have no right to be here. LEAVE"

Tai's ki spiked at Dende's tone and he unconsciously started marching towards the smaller namekian. "Do you know who you talking to? Do you know what I can do to this planet?" During his march, a small purple orb started forming in Tai's palm, gradually growing and developing black plasma spinning chaotically around its axis. "Do you know what I can do to you?" he threatened with near psychotic calmness.

Piccolo stepped between the pair for the umpteenth time, but this time he was ready for a fight, one he new he stood no chance in, but he had to protect Dende.

"Tai, you need to calm down. Dende is too vital to all of us for you to kill him in a tantrum."

Tai turned his focus to Piccolo. "Get out of my way." _This is no tantrum, this is divine retribution._

Piccolo knew this was only ending up one way, so he tossed aside his cloak and turban and raised his ki. "If you want him then you'll have to get through me," the namek stood firm.

"As you wish," he raised him palm into Piccolo's face, his vacant eyes meeting Piccolos glare.

An image suddenly formed in Tai's eyes. Piccolo standing protectively in front of Tai as a third form Frieza was about to kill him, and he uttered the same words then to Frieza as he is to Tai now. He remembered the look of sadistic glee that filled Frieza's eyes when he tortured Piccolo.

 _I am not him!_

 _You sure sound like him. You even gave the same reply._

Tai's resolve faltered momentarily, but that was enough for everything to go wrong. The ball of energy in his hand began to grow and spiral out of control.

"Dammit," he screamed, slowly feeling the ball of destruction consuming his palm. _I must regain control_ , Tai tried to will himself and the ball back into control, but the pain was becoming unbearable and he knew holding onto it for too long in this state could kill him.

"Get off the lookout now!" he ordered, this time Dende and Piccolo happily complied, taking to the sky as quickly as they could.

Tai then did the only thing he could to do, and that was launch it. He aimed it at the lookout floor and upon impact, everything that was on the lookout was gone. From the tiles to the trees and even the hyperbolic time chamber. All was gone, vanished without so much as an explosion.

The pair of Namekians looked at him in awe. "Piccolo, whatever technique that was, could just have easily destroyed the earth if he wasn't careful."

"It's not like him to use an attack he can't control."

"I don't think his ki control is the problem. I think it's mental."

When they turned to face the topic of their conversation, he was already gone.

-X-

1 month later

"Bye Rase," a young blonde child waved at Erasa, before he was soon a part of the swarm of children entering the school building.

Erasa waved at her younger brother lovingly, feeling a warmth in her chest only he could draw. _He's so cute right now, why can't he stay that way forever._

She turned around, fixing her handbag and brushing stray hairs away from her eyes so she could go to school herself. Hercule Primary School was only a 10-minute walk from her school, so she didn't mind dropping her brother off, but her mum could pick him up when she left work.

Her walk was relatively boring until she saw a glimpse of Saiyamans red cape descending into the town centre. Curious, she entered area, figuring it could kill time until school started, and she hoped to meet the superhero to test out a hypothesis.

There was a burglar alarm blaring loudly from River Island, and the superhero was standing outside holding a struggling, blue haired, woman. In her flailing she finally dropped her school bag and two tops fell out onto the floor along with a makeup bag.

The manager walked out and pointed to the security tags still on the shirts and shaking her head. The entire time Erasa kept her presence hidden. Feeling that his work was done he prepared to take off into the sky.

"Wait!" Erasa hollered.

The sudden interruption caused Gohan to fall comedically to the ground, mid-take-off. Erasa took the opportunity to get close to the costumed superhero. She sprayed a healthy amount of perfume on her shirt and a little on her hand before helping him up.

"Sorry about that, I just wanted to talk to you."

"What do you wish to talk about madame?" Gohan fought the cough threatening to leave his mouth.

"Two things. First, thanks for helping the city. With Videl injured and her dad not stepping up, criminals have been getting pretty gutsy. You're the only person that keeps them in check."

Saiyaman chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head just like a certain person she knew. "The police are the real protectors of this city, I just lend a helping hand wherever I can," he downplayed his contribution.

"You're too modest," she playfully punched his arm.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'm in a rush, so what was that second thing you wanted?" Saiyaman inquired, and without warning Erasa, Erasa hugged his arm then pulled him in close.

"Can you walk me to school. It would be totally[TM1] cool to walk in with a super hero."

Gohan sweat dropped underneath his visor before declining her request and returning to his morning patrol. Erasa smirked knowingly, she was going to prove her theory today.

-X-

Later in the afternoon

Erasa pushed the door open and held it there to allow her friend to walk through. Sharpener sped through the door, squeezing past a black-haired student, who immediately cursed him.

"Thanks, babe, you're so thoughtful," he smirked, then blew Videl a kiss.

"Jerk," Erasa cussed, then she waved Videl through the door, taking care not to get in the way of her crutches. Sharpener to his credit had pulled out the chairs for his friends and they quickly joined the blonde.

"Erasa," Videl gestured.

Once they took their seats, Erasa wacked Sharpeners arm for the little joke and Videl smiled approvingly. They took out their books and waited for the teacher to arrive as the classroom gradually filled up.

"Everyone take your seats, I have an announcement to make," Mr Moore said he said while looking out at the class, focusing slightly more at Videl and Erasa than anyone else, but no one took much notice of it.

"We have new student," Moore announced, causing his students to murmur amongst themselves. It was always going to create a buzz. Naturally they were curious about the student, but all their questions were soon going to be answered.

"Come on in boy," the teacher shouted, and the door opened. "He received perfect scores in maths, physics, biology and his IQ registers at over 180."

Before the calls for nerd could commence, in walked a tall, tanned young man with black spiky hair and a bag hanging lazily from his shoulder. He looked out into the class wearing a bored expression, finding nothing worth his attention. "Introduce yourself, boy."

"My name's Taikon," Tai said, he couldn't recognize the looks he was getting from people. He could see the malice behind some of the male's eyes, however the looks he received from some girls puzzled him. He wore red sleeveless body warmer and black joggers. His muscular arms were on full display with Angela tracing their outline in the air.

"Find an empty seat and we'll begin our lesson."

Tai sat by the only person not giving him any sort of glare and look, a girl in glasses and faced the front of the class. Nothing about the lesson interested him at all. It was a history lesson about events that happened hundreds of years prior. He found it surprisingly hard to concentrate, mainly because a few of the girls kept sneaking looks at him and smiling to themselves. He had even forgotten how his sensitive saiyan nose hated the strength of women's perfume.

Out of boredom he used started listening to a conversation between two girls at the front of the class about 'The Great Saiyaman'. From what he gathered from the news the hero had ki abilities that people deemed super powers and used them to fight crime. _No zeni needed to figure out who he was,_ Tai thought.

"Just because they showed up at the same time doesn't make Gohan. Saiyaman," Erasa whispered.

 _Idiot._

"It's suspicious."

 _Less stupid._

"It's a coincidence."

"He only shows up whenever Gohan's around."

 _Even less stupid. Maybe that black haired girl is interesting. At least she's smarter than the blonde._

"What?"

"He's only around during school days and never on weekends. He wasn't even here on the bank holiday."

Tai nodded in approval at the girls deduction, but it was all guess work with no evidence, even though she was correct.

"Is there anything you'd like to share with the class Miss Videl," Mr. Moore challenged.

"No, sir."

At the end of the lesson Mr. Moore dismissed the class but told Angela to stay behind. He turned to the bespectacled girl and asked. "You, human!" he demanded.

"You, weirdo," she retorted.

Tai wasn't sure what a weirdo was, but he continued as if she didn't say anything. "What happens next"

"Lunch," she replied.

Tai grunted in approval before throwing his bag over his shoulder and strolling out of the classroom, into the hallway. The usual hustle and bustle of school life happened before his very eyes, so he observed his new companions. _I've seen jungles more organised than this. People are pushing past each other, shouting, spitting, laughing and they are content with it for the most part. Unless they are weaker that is._

He considered going to the canteen to get his lunch, but he was quickly interrupted by Earth's guardian invading his thoughts. _NO!_

After the incident he hadn't seen the namekians, but Dende did keep an eye on him and speak to him telepathically when necessary.

 _I know Gohan is trying to keep a low profile and I respected that. Besides, after how they reacted to us around the Cell Games, I don't think their brains could handle what I can do now._

While lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice Erasa step in front of him, only becoming aware when her perfume assaulted his nose "Hiya," she waved. She flashed Tai a bright, friendly grin and offered her hand out invitingly.

"I'm Erasa, those two over there are Videl and Sharpener," she gestured towards a blonde male and black-haired female who offered tight smiles. "I know you're new so you probably won't have anyone to eat with. You wanna come with us," she offered.

 _Don't eat with the earthlings._

Dende's voice rang through his head and he shook his head. "I eat alone," he said, making Erasa frown.

"Don't be shy," she smiled before attempting to drag Tai along. He eyed her with mild astonishment, she was trying to force a saiyan warrior along to do as she wished, and she even got physical unlike Bulma. Tai wrestled out of her grip and walked away from the group.

"Someone needs to learn some manners," Sharpener commented.

"Yeah, kinda like someone needs to learn not to cut across a girl on crutches," Videl snapped.

"Are you still on about that?"

Videl paused then glared at her friend, pressing her finger into his chest. "When I can walk, the first thing I'm doing is kicking your ass."

"You guys bicker like an old married couple," Erasa chimed in, not taking her eyes off the boy walking away. _Too bad, he's really cute too._

"Ha! She/He wishes," they mocked simultaneously.

-X-

It had taken a little over a month, but Gohan had found the perfect place to have his lunch in peace. There was a tree near the main school entrance that not many people hung around, in fact there was no through traffic.

Ever since he had encountered Mr Moore on the roof, it seemed like he had a vendetta against Gohan. The detention was only the beginning. He cracked down hard on Gohan for the smallest of offences, whether it was tardiness, speaking in class, he was always punished with detention. He was berated for answering questions and not saying specific words, or not answering and then ridiculed for his perfect marks. Teachers that didn't know him had a tainted view of him and they treated him with scorn, all because one teacher didn't like him.

"There he is," Erasa declared with a glean in her eye, with Videl and Sharpener in tow. "We've been looking all over for you."

"No, you have. We've been dragged all over school while our lunches get getting cold," Sharpener grumbled.

"Hey guys," Gohan said, "What are you doing here?"

"Erasa figured you might be lonely at lunch so she wanted us to sit with you."

Sharpener and Erasa sat on the ground beside Gohan while Videl stood there, trying to figure out a way to join them. Her leg was still in a cast after the incident over a month ago, and her arm had customised supports, made by Capsule Corp, that helped her use it even though it hurt.

Sharpener was about to stand up and help her, but Erasa tugged on his shirt to prevent him from getting up, "Gohan would you mind helping Videl sit down."

Gohan obliged and stood behind Videl, so he could guide her on her way down. Unconsciously, Videl's heart rate picked up being so close to the saiyan and she could feel a small warmth in her cheeks. "I got you," he said softly, making the hairs on her neck stand up. "Videl?" he questioned, after she took longer than she was supposed to, to respond.

 _What was that about?_ The young crimefighter thought to herself before letting herself fall gently into his arms. She noticed that his arms were much stronger than she thought, in fact they felt muscular and defined underneath the baggy shirt. The other thing she noticed was that he smelled… feminine and sweet. _It's like he's wearing perfume._

"Have you been with a girl recently?" she asked, a little more forcefully than she would have liked

"Yeah, this school is filled with them," he answered cluelessly.

"I mean have you hugged someone lately."

He shook his head before furrowing his eyebrows. "Why do you ask?"

"You smell like perfume."

"Way to go brains," Sharpener congratulated raising his hand, so Gohan could reciprocate a reluctant high-five. "I didn't think you had it in you."

Erasa went over to Gohan to get a whiff and she smiled brightly. "Gohan, that smells just like my favourite perfume," she cooed.

"Have you guys been…"

"No Videl, this is the first time I've seen him today."

"Then how does he smell like you. You got that stuff from the Land of Korin and they don't sell it anywhere else."

Gohan was screaming mentally. Sweat was forming at the base of his forehead and threatened to cascade down his guilty face. His brain scrambled for a believable explanation about how he got Erasa's scent on him. Then he remembered she hugged him as Saiyaman. He looked in the blonde's eyes, taking in the confidence and assurance that radiated from them. She knew something.

"I guess some other girl has it too, I did bump into a lot of people when I came here," he stuttered. At the end of his explanation he took note of the slight tug at the corner of Erasa's lips.

"I guess so," she agreed before winking at him.

-X-

Next period was another session of gym class, which Gohan shared with Sharpener, Videl and Erasa. It was Gohan's most dreaded lesson, not because it was hard to do, in fact it was too easy. The earthlings were too brittle, too frail and too easily amazed by the simplest of feats. He was constantly defending himself for being physically better than any of them and if his mother wasn't forcing him to do it, he'd skip it all together.

Mr. Fields, whistled loudly gaining the attention of the class, making them gather around. "Starting three weeks from now we're going to be doing martial arts," the announcement drew a chorus of cheers from the students, particularly those who trained in the local gym.

"But for now, we're going to do athletics, namely 100-meter sprint, long jump and javelin. I'll split the class into 3, so everyone gets a shot."

The split was done by where you stood, so naturally people ended up with their friends. Despite the heat, Gohan still wore a baggy shirt and sweats but people were used to it by now. They just assumed he was shy and left it at that.

Gohan stood near the back so he could see the average score and land around there, since his actual jump would cause sand to fly everywhere and probably leave a crater in his wake. Videl was laying on the ground with Erasa, with her leg still in a cast she couldn't do any physical activity, but she still liked watching her classmates. Gohan managed to look average and land somewhere in the middle of the pack, then he joined Erasa and Videl on the floor.

"Hey look, it's that new kid," Erasa whispered pointing at Tai. Gohan was too distracted by the clouds to see his approach.

 _I wonder what Dad is doing now? He's probably training with King Kai somewhere. I just hope he's happy. Goten's been asking a lot more about him and it's getting harder to explain just how great my dad is since he always wants to know more. Dad's hard to describe, he's the type of guy you need to just be around to get it._

"Maybe he's coming here to apologize for being such a jerk," Videl scoffed.

"Well we're about to find out," the blonde sighed. She unconsciously found herself fixing her appearance and brushing the grass out of her hair with her fingers, but Tai ignored the two girls and stood in front of an unsuspecting Gohan.

Gohan stirred at the sight of an extra shadow in his space and turned to face the person responsible. When his eyes landed on the face of the man, they stretched wide and his heart dropped. It suddenly felt as though someone turned the gravity up to 1000, an uncomfortable chill ran down his spine as memories of that day flooded his mind.

Videl could have sworn that Gohan's mind had crashed, judging from that vacant look in his eye. His jaw had dropped, but soon he mouthed something she was certain she misread. She swore she heard him say, 'You're dead'. Not as a threat, but as a statement.

"It's been a while hasn't it," Tai said, breaking the tension between them, and bringing Gohan back to reality. Once it finally registered that wasn't a dream and it was real, Gohan jumped to his feet and hugged his old friend.

The blatant show of affection took Erasa and Videl aback, Gohan was normally show shy and reserved that they thought displays such as this were beyond him. He laughed gleefully, which surprisingly didn't get the attention of others.

"Looks like Taikon has friends after all," Videl sniped. Her eyes narrowing at the pair, she didn't know much about Tai, but just the fact that he's close to Gohan made him someone important in her eyes. The demi-saiyan was a mystery, a puzzle she needed to solve for her own sanity.

"Gohan…" Tai wheezed, in his relaxed state he wasn't prepared for Gohan's strength. "You're hugging me." His words fell on deft ears as Gohan didn't let go. "Get off me," Tai raised his power level slightly and broke Gohan's grip.

Gohan's hands found the back of his head, there were so many questions he wanted to ask that his mouth couldn't keep up with his brain, so incoherent babel came out.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend, Gohan?" Videl asked.

"We've met," Tai replied immediately, earning a stern glare from the injured crime fighter.

"Guys this is Tai, he's an old friend." He said anyway despite Tai's words, "When did you meet them?"

"We're in the same History class. I need to talk to you," Tai tried to change the subject from the human girls on the floor. His demeanour never changing from the stoic mask. "When this is over we should go somewhere."

"What about the Lookout."

"Not an option. Neither is your place, Kame House or West City."

Both girls didn't take much notice of Kame House, but the certainly did of West City. Erasa whispered to Videl. "West City is even Further away than Gohan's place, why would Tai suggest that," but Videl was too invested in their conversation to notice.

Gohan's facial features mirrored Tai's and another first occurred in front of Videl. As far as she knew, this was the first time Gohan's face was set in such a stern manner. The took stock of his clenched jaw and narrow eyes and her interest in the two grew a lot more.

The next activity on the groups course was the 100-meter sprint. Tai and Gohan stood silent beside one another, the only communication they had was an occasional exchange of looks whenever anyone bragged about their speed.

All attempts to learn more about Tai was immediately rebuffed by him. He would either ignore them or send them an icy glare, but that did nothing to curb Videl's curiosity. He wouldn't say where he was from, where he lived, how he got to school or what he did for fun. The question about his family was particularly troublesome. All Erasa did was ask what his parents did, and it seemed as if the world had stopped. It started when Gohan winced.

Tai shot her a murderous glare, one which made the blonde yelp with fear. Then a sharp gust of wind rocked the class and Tai was the epicentre. Gohan looked at the girls and shook his head sadly, showing that it's not up for discussion. As soon as pity had filled the blonde's eyes, Tai shook his head in disgust and calmed down. _I am a saiyan warrior, I don't need her pity or anyone elses._

Both saiyans had a similar idea in that they wouldn't do anything super human. Gohan entered the race just before Tai's and finished with a score of 15 seconds, nothing spectacular but that was the point.

The closer it got to the race, the more it burned Tai that he had to limit himself so that these earthling's meagre reality could be preserved. Mortals will continue to confuse and flabbergast him for the rest of his existence.

During his first heat he ran at a speed of 10 seconds, this alone was enough to draw attention from the class, particularly the coach who wanted him to join the school track team. He ran 3 more times and achieved similar times, each time looking more bored than the last and then they moved on to javelin.

The entire time they waited in line he looked at Erasa with minor annoyance. Yes, the blonde was bubbly, happy and ditzy, all of which he found irritating but the one which baffled him was her acting. The blonde was receiving praise from some of the girls for her effort since she finished last in her races. What they didn't notice was the fact that she finished 2nd in his first race and lost by a second. Everyone's attention was so fixed on Tai that they ignored the blonde and she wasn't trying to speak up for herself.

"These mortals make no sense."

* * *

[TM1]


	4. Mind your damn business

Chapter 4-Mind your damn business

"After defeating every fighter that King Bovine had to offer, he had no choice but to surrender his thrown and kingdom to the leader we know today as the Ox King. His kingdom reaches as far as the Paozu mountains."

Tai sat in the back of his History class, bored as usual and unsure with what to do with his new-found daily hobby. Why he would subject himself to such boredom was beyond him.

His thoughts drifted to the conversation he had with Gohan the 3 days prior. He had given him the bare minimum. He said he had been training for the past 7 years, he was saved by his master and that he was back on Earth at said master's instruction. He left out a few things unsure if he should tell people what his master is. Before they left, he made Gohan promise not to tell a soul that he was back, especially Chi-Chi and Bulma.

While he zoned out, staring at the painting of the Ox-King, someone else was staring at him. Videls piercing gaze didn't faze him, a fact that made her grit her teeth. She had grown accustomed to a certain level of reverence from people that met her for the first time, a fact she thought she found annoying. But she had to admit Kai and Gohan's lack of acknowledgement irked her. The way they looked at her let her know they were hiding something from her, something that specifically regarded her.

"Rumour has it that the Ox-King was a student of the Crane school of martial arts," Mr Moore added, getting a few murmurs from the students who were interested in the WMAT, but it drew a scoff from Tai who returned to staring at the painting. _The Lecher won't like that one bit,_ the though brought a small smile to the young saiyans face, albeit briefly.

The bell soon rang and everyone cleared out except for Angela, who again was asked to stay behind by Mr Moore. Tai sensed where Gohan was and proceeded to make his way over to him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Videl asked, after she had blocked Tai's path with one of her crutches.

"Move," Tai grumbled.

Videl moved her crutch to support her weight and she gingerly placed it under her arm. "Make me," she challenged.

Tai briefly toyed with the idea of throwing her out of the way, but he doubted Gohan would be too pleased with that. He liked this earthling and that was enough to keep her safe from his wrath. So instead he tried to sidestep her, only for her to throw an arm in front of him.

"You're not going anywhere until you answer my questions."

"I don't have to listen to anything you have to say, much less answer your questions. So, Get out of my way woman, before I do something that you'll regret."

A vain popped out of her temple at the tone. In her annoyance she poked one of her fingers in his chest, an action which took the saiyan by surpricse. "You think threats work on me. I deal with hardened criminals every day and you think I'll take a high schooler's threats are going to phase me. You clearly don't know who I am."

 _Imagine what Vegeta would say if he saw this. A proud saiyan warrior being held up by an injured, earth-woman on crutches. He must never find out._

"Nor do I care, now move."

"I'll let you go as soon as you answer my questions," she pressed. Tai found himself impressed by her forcefulness but scowled at how similar she was to Bulma and Chi-Chi, she's just the type of person he's trying to avoid. But he couldn't think of a way to get shake her off without hurting her or revealing his powers.

 _This little game is getting old and fast. I told Gohan I'd keep his true strength a secret and wouldn't reveal my own either, but this girl is honestly making me consider using instant transmission this very moment. Well that or destroy her._

"I was being nice because you're injured. But forget it," he pushed away her arm and force her back against the wall. "I'm not Gohan. I don't break under the pressure of someone like you. I have a spine. Come at me like this again and a bad leg will be the least of your problems." He growled before letting go of her shirt and letting her slide helplessly down the wall.

She watched him walk away with her hand gently touching her collar bone where Tai had forced her against the wall.

"That didn't go according to plan," she groaned.

Videl let go of a breath she was subconsciously holding on to when Tai turned the corner. She placed her free hand over he chest to try and settle her rapidly beating heart and drain the flush from her cheeks. She was expecting him to be hostile, but she wasn't expecting him to threaten her while she was injured. She acknowledged that using her injury to trap him was wrong, but she did get a better fix on his character. One thing he said was true. He was nothing like Gohan.

-X-

The rain was pounding the glass ceiling of the mall, and the sound resonated throughout most of the complex. Everyone ignored it and carried on with their usual routine, apart from one girl.

"Cold, cold, so, so cold," she shivered as they entered the shopping centre.

Videl shook her head, before wringing her pigtails to get some water out of them. Sharpener walked in after putting away his umbrella, revealing his dry hair and mostly dry clothes. He was aware that his friends were glaring at him, so he put on the smuggest expression he could muster and directed it at the pair.

"Next time you should look at the weather forecast."

"You cou-could have at least tried to share it with us," Erasa stammered.

"I'll let you borrow it, so you can drop your brother off at home," he retorted. "Besides, we couldn't all fit and there's no point in all of us getting wet."

"What happened to chivalry?" Videl shot.

"Hate to break it to you but it's dead," he smirked. "Now if you excuse me, I've got to meet my dad, then I can ride in his nice warm car back home."

He gave his umbrella to Erasa before heading off. "As soon as I can walk, I'm kicking his ass."

"There won't be anything left as soon as I'm done with him," Erasa groaned.

They went to a fast food restaurant and ordered a couple of burgers. While waiting for their food, a burglar alarm rang through the shopping centre. Erasa instinctively put a hand on Videl's shoulder to stop her from moving.

"What are you doing?" the fighter wondered.

"Sorry it's just a reflex. You always look for an excuse to get away from me when we're in the mall," Erasa joked. This caused a small, twinge of guilt to build up in Videls stomach.

"I'm not trying to get away from you. I'm trying to escape you in shopper mode."

"I know, it's just annoying how good you are at it."

"I'm not nearly as good at escaping as Saiyaman," Videl huffed, making Erasa roll her eyes, since she knew where this was going. "Speaking of dorks, have you noticed something weird about his habits. He only ever shows up on weekdays."

"So, what?"

"Why is that?"

"It's not like the city needs him, he just helps out right. He probably takes some downtime thinking the police can handle it."

"Remember that training day we had when school was cancelled."

Erasa straight faced her friend, "Vi, that was like a week ago."

"Yeah, that same day there was a bank robbery and a jewellery heist, and what super dork wasn't there?"

Erasa pursed her lips but said nothing, leaving Videl the chance to continue. "And since there was no school, a certain boy, that you're obsessed with, wasn't there."

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of gunfire erupting outside the shop. It was now Videls turn to act on instinct and dive on top of Erasa, sending the both to the floor, before she flipped the table to provide more cover. The adrenaline pumping through her allowed her to ignore just how much it hurt her bad leg.

Not long afterwards, the screams of the malls occupants filled the air, along with the sound of glass shattering and heavy objects crashing into the ground.

"Sounds like robbers."

"On the bright side, they shouldn't come into a fast food place," Erasa chuckled nervously

"They might have killed someone."

"There's nothing we can do about it now with your leg all banged up. We just need to wait for the police or Saiyaman to handle it."

Videl clenched her first at her rival's name, but quickly accepted Erasa's reasoning. The only thing she could do now was make a good hostage. She scanned the room to see if there was a better hiding place for the pair. During her search she saw a curious sight, one that made her blood boil. A tall young man was standing by the window watching the action.

"Tai, what the hell are you doing? Get down," the crimefighter hissed.

Tai turned to acknowledge her, wearing an expressionless mask before ignoring her and returning to watch the display. He thought that was the end of that, until Erasa once again grabbed his arm, only this time to drag him down. "It's not safe to stand."

Once again Tai was surprised by the blonde's bravery in trying to physically coerce a saiyan warrior, and his reaction was just as cold as it normally was. He yanked his arm away violently and scrunched his nose at her. "Piss off," he warned.

But she wasn't taking no for an answer and she did something that neither Tai nor Videl would have expected, she kicked him in his balls.

Had Tai been anticipating such a manoeuvre, he would have either dodged or raised a barrier, but without his ki, a well-placed kick, even from a human like her could floor a saiyan. He collapsed to the ground, grabbing his groin. He was in so much pain that it failed to escape his mouth, the scream of agony kept getting caught in his throat and he felt a painful tug in his stomach.

"You can yell at me later," she huffed before re-joining Videl, who was stifling back her laughter.

On the other hand, the saiyan was so angry at the human that his eyes began transitioning to a dark shade of teal, but his ki was so out of focus he couldn't even bring the transformation out. _Forget Dende's rule, this one dies._

To make matters worse, he could hear the earth's guardian's laughter in his ear. _That little twerp. He's laughing in my ear. He's making me listen to his laughter, and he knows I can't kill him._

The pain was slowly starting to subside, as was the tension, since Saiyaman had arrived to dispatch of the villains. Tai managed to get himself to his feet, and it was only when he found his balance that Saiyaman walked in to declare the safety of the mall.

"Never fear civilians, for I, the Great Saiyaman have apprehended the evildoers and the police are on their way to collect them. Is everyone alright?" a symphony of applause broke out for the teenage superhero, before everyone informed them of their situation.

After spending some time bracing himself against the wall, Tai was finally comfortable enough to walk towards Gohan. Well more like limp towards his friend, Erasa's kick packed a lot of power behind it, more than the saiyan's pride would admit.

He stood in front of Gohan then inspected him. His helmet, his visor, the skin-tight suit, the cape, the gloves, his poses, all of it. He took note of the love the people had for him, well everyone apart from Videl. _This is totally something he would do. Even down to his dorky costume._

"You are so lame," Tai said, shaking his head disapprovingly. The backlash he received from the crowd was immediate, they clearly didn't take kindly to anyone insulting their saviour.

Gohan huffed and folded stiffly before quietly saying. "This is the latest fashion."

Tai again shook his head and moved to whisper in Gohan's ear, "If it's the latest fashion, why isn't anyone else dressed like you."

"Hello there, Saiyaman, can you help us, my dad fell out of his wheelchair when we jumped to the floor."

Gohan apologised for not seeing it and went to help the family out then he checked on others. "You seemed really friendly with Saiyaman, you two know each other?" Videl smirked.

Tai contemplated lying to her before remembering how bad he was at it. He hadn't told a real lie in over 10 years. "Who's Saiyaman?" he asked.

"The guy you just spoke to, cape, dorky mannerisms and all."

"Since I just found out that he's Saiyaman, doesn't that answer your question?"

"I know you're being evasive. Answering questions with questions."

"If you don't like my answer then too bad," he folded his arms and returned the glare she was giving him. _If this is Gohan's secret, then I shouldn't be the one to break it. And if I don't answer any of her questions, she won't be able to spot my tells._

While most were avoiding the tension building between the pair, Erasa broke through and put her hand on Videl, gaining Tai's attention. Now that the adrenaline of the incident had left her system, a wave of guilt washed over her for hurting Tai. She only did it for his safety, but from the little she knew about him, she thought he'd misunderstand. "I'm sorry about kicki-"

Tai raised a finger at the blonde. She was expecting him to take her up on her offer and yell at her, but nothing came. He placed a hand over her head, and she felt a jolt of electricity run across her forehead. A litany of image appeared in her mind and then the emotions she felt moments ago rushed through her body. When she opened her eyes, she saw him staring into hers. They contained an air of innocence, curiosity and confusion. Like someone who didn't understand why something was happening.

She in turn took stock of Tai's appearance. She understood why the girls were so excited during that first History class, he had defined wide cheeks, small nose, strong jaw, long eyelashes and his eyebrows rested close to his eyes. _Those intense, pecan, brown eyes._ She thought dreamily, with a dopey smile threatening to form on her lips.

She only snapped out of her trance when he took his hand off her forehead before walking out of the restaurant and out the mall, leaving her with er hand hovering over the warmth left behind by his touch.

-X-

"Hey Tai, you're walking kind of funny, did something happen to your leg," Gohan asked concernedly.

"Mind your damn business."


	5. Then again, didn't I do the same

Chapter 5- Then again, didn't I do the same

It had been three weeks since Tai had first enrolled in Orange Star and he was getting used to being around people again. For the previous 7 years it had just been him being trained by his master. It was also his first time being around people his own age, a group who he had determined to be annoying and worthless. All they did was gossip, make noise and make other people's lives difficult. Especially if they deemed you physically weaker or less attractive than they were.

A few people tried it with Gohan, it didn't bother him much or else he would show them real physical superiority, and they left Tai alone. In fact, they only went after Gohan when Tai wasn't present. The only one who did it with any sort of subterfuge was the teacher Mr Moore. Tai was the only one to pick up on what the earthlings called bullying. Moore was bullying Gohan by belittling him in class and going after his credibility with other teachers.

Gohan was smart when it came to books and to a lesser extent fighting, but in terms of interpersonal skills he was like a newborn. Tai may not have known how to deal with kids his own age, he knew how to deal with adults and he had the experience to tell when one was picking on a child.

It was English Literature, one of the few classes he shared with Gohan and Videls friends, and it was taught by Mr. Moore. He was reading The Tempest, with most of the class either being confused by the words or bored.

 _"How much longer is this torture?"_

 _"Don't get your hopes up because we have gym later."_

 _"Unlike these earthlings, I don't struggle with such trivial activities."_

Gohan frowned at his friends' tone, _"I meant about staying hidden. Not everyone can be saiyans like us."_

 _"Yamcha, Tien and Krillin would find this easy."_

 _"Everyone you've named has dedicated years of training, you can't expect that from everyone."_

 _"I'll give you that, but if any of those weaklings try and vomit on me again, I'll end them."_

 _"Sometimes I wonder what Vegeta was like at my age, I think you just answered my question."_

 _"Vegeta wouldn't last 5 minutes without killing someone."_

 _"You're right. Do you want a biscuit for your patience?"_

 _"Do you want my foot up your ass, because that's what's going to happen if you keep patronising me?"_

 _"Doesn't Dende's orders not to harm the earthlings extend to me."_

 _"You're half human so I can beat you half to death."_

The two shared a knowing smirk and unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by Videl. She wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Videl.

 **Is it me or does it look like they're having a conversation.**

Once she read it she too took note of the saiyans. Their facial expressions ranged from hostile to jovial and everything in between. Gohan even had to stifle laughter on occasion.

 **Maybe they just really like each other.** She scribbled on a piece of paper, before handing it back to Videl.

 **Very funny. I know it sounds ridiculous, but we have a superhero who can fly and throw fireballs from his hands. Anything's possible.**

Erasa was about to write back a smartass response, then she remembered that time the Tai put his hands on her forehead and made those feelings come up. **It's not the most ridiculous theory you've had this year.**

"GOHAN," Mr Moore bellowed, causing some of the sleepier members of class to jump. "I like to laugh too, so would you mind explaining what you and Tai are laughing about."

The class turned to face the pair, but mainly on the demi saiyan who had been called out by their teacher. "We were talking about how hard it was to read when we were children," Tai spoke up.

Moore glared at Tai menacingly. He thought back to the day that Gohan had caught him on the roof and remembered the litany of lunch boxes. _Maybe Tai was there too,_ he thought, however he remembered that was a month before the boy even arrived and returned to his original target.

"You will speak when addressed, Taikon, I was talking to Mr. Son."

"Tai's right, we were talking about being kids and struggling with this."

Moore smirked at the opportunity "So you've been reading Shakespeare since you were a child. I can hardly believe that."

"It's true."

"We probably know it better than you," Kai grumbled, but was ignored

"Then you wouldn't mind doing the next scene, everyone please give Mr Son a nice round of applause," the class did as commanded and Gohan played his role. Once at the front he asked.

"What scene is it?"

"Act 3, Scene 1 from ''A prince, Miranda—I do think, a king"

Gohan shifted uncomfortably at the attention he was getting from the class. Some of the jocks enjoyed seeing him that way, this was also true for the populars. Victimising nerds was a pass time, but they could appreciate a teacher getting in on the act.

"This scene involves Miranda, you can't expect him to do it alone can you," Tai spoke up.

"Maybe one of the girls should join him," Sharpener jumped in.

Erasa and Videl regarded Moore with disgust at the show. If this was the first time this had happened she wouldn't care, but this was a pattern. Gohan was routinely singled out, for the smallest of infractions. The same infractions he'd allow some of the others to get away with.

"Gross, who'd want to be near the nerd boy," Biro spat.

Biros response made Marker, Angela, Pencilcase and Tipex,, the members of her clique in this class, laugh.

"You might catch his nerd germs," Pencilcase added.

Moore didn't bat an eye at the blatant bullying, he just continued to stare at Gohan expectantly. Tai observed the situation with interest. The familiarity of the atmosphere made his skin itch. He'd encountered cliques like this as a child, but he assumed that was just the Frieza forces general attitude, cowardice and cruelty. _Maybe this is how all living creatures behave. I guess Kakarot and his lackies are outliers after all._

"Don't talk about him like that," Videl snapped.

"Or what? You'll hobble over and give me a stern warning," Biro sneered.

Videl sent the girl a look that could have given Vegeta pause, but Biro was unphased. Seeing that girl made Videl's blood boil. Biro carried herself with an arrogant swagger that came from her families power. Her mother was the Grand Attorney, the highest lawmaker in the region, meaning Biro got away with just about everything. Videl would spend hours on the punching bag imagining it was her face.

The little argument that engulfed the class ended when the bell rang, much to the relief of Sharpener and a few uncomfortable students. Sharpener was friends with Biro's clique and Videl was one of his best friends, so their feud made him feel awkward.

Moore dismissed the class before giving Gohan detention for talking and asking Angela to stay behind. Tai observed the teacher with minor curiosity, _He likes to stir the pot until in boils over, then see how others react. He has Cui written all over him._

"Out of the way," Marker cursed as he shoved Tai out of the way.

Tai allowed it to happen but had to swallow a considerable amount of bile to do so. For good measure, Gohan placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"He's an idiot, but that doesn't mean he should die," Gohan sighed.

"He's insolent."

"Insolent... really... you sound just like Vegeta," the demi-saiyan said again.

Tai grumbled at the comparison, but his lack of direct answer showed he agreed begrudgingly with the comparison.

"I'm proud of you, I know the earthlings can be grating but you haven't hurt any of them since you've been here."

Gohan's smile was met with a blank mask by Tai. He was contemplating telling Gohan about what happened the first time he entered the city. Gohan's kindness had always confused and intrigued Tai. They had met on Namek when Gohan had rescued Dende. He didn't think about his actions, he just knew that the kid needed help and jumped in. This became much more impressive when he found out they could sense Frieza's power.

 _I never could have done the same, and yet we share the same saiyan blood. He would do anything to protect the innocent, especially those of this wretched planet. And as far as I'm concerned none of these earthlings deserve his protection. Why would my master subject me to this stupid planet? Earth holds the answer to the blasted question that keeps me here. It even holds the damn question, which I can't figure out. But one thing I did figure out is that all earthlings are annoying._

 _The idiots all have a death wish. Whether it's the moron who just tried to intimidate me, the harpy that hounds Gohan, the teacher, the red shark gang that tried to mug me or the blonde that had the nerve to strike me. After seeing the difference between Kakarot and Vegeta I'd thought this planet to be special, or the inhabitants to be unique. But they are just like everyone else: Greedy, ferocious, spiteful, selfish and have no care for anyone they think to be weaker._

 _Master, I need your guidance._

-X-

Lunchtime was over, and the student population had returned to their classes. Tai had a free period and opted to climb the tree that he and Gohan ate under, so he could rest and be alone. Since the encounter with Moore and his class earlier that day, Tai been mulling over Goku and Gohan's behaviour.

He knew the two's kindness wasn't the glaring weakness like Vegeta thought, but it didn't make it any less of an anomaly. They refused to use their power to get what they wanted, they tolerated the abuse they received from earthlings and most bafflingly they were willing to die to protect such an ungrateful lot.

 _Then again, didn't I do the same._ An irksome point echoed through his mind. He groaned as he smacked his forehead at the thought. _Why did I do something that idiotic?_

His thoughts were interrupted by the two energy signatures he sensed approaching the tree. He looked to the ground and scowled as the pair put their bags down and settled under the shade the tree provided.

"I told you he wasn't going to be here," Erasa sighed as she helped Videl to the ground.

"I didn't come here looking for Gohan, I came here for the shade."

"Sure, you hobbled for 10 minutes to the tree where Gohan eats his lunch just for the shade," the blonde smirked knowingly. Tai rolled his eyes at the two best friends, silently cursing Gohan for attracting Videl's attention.

"This is also a Biro free zone, that alone is worth the trek."

"You shouldn't let her bother you. She only acts that way because she knows it gets under your skin."

"I'll feel better when I can punch her in the face," Videl said, punching her palm aggressively. Kai unconsciously nodded at the statement, making some leaves rustle.

"And you're letting her bother you," Erasa groaned, she knew Videl wouldn't listen, but she thought she should try.

"If her mother wasn't the Grand Attorney of the region, I would have smeared the floor with her."

Erasa wasn't in the mood to listen to another rant about Biro, Pencilcase or Marker after their English lesson, _I've wasted enough energy on those losers_. She went to the one topic that could grab her attention more than anything.

"How's Saiyaman been handling crime without you?"

Videl was aware of what the blonde did, and she mentally scolded herself for talking about Biro so much. "It's weird."

"What is?"

"Ever since my leg was broken, the chief hasn't been paging me in class, and Saiyaman hasn't been seen between 9 and 3."

"I can see where you're going."

"I'm not finished. He's only ever seen between 7 and 8:30 in the morning, seeing him after 3 is rare."

"All pointing to Gohan being Saiyaman," Erasa sighed.

Now they had Tai's full and undivided attention.

"Come on Erasa, when you put together all of that evidence it makes a strong case for Gohan being saiyadork and possibly. All three showed up around the same time, Saiyaman and the gold fighter have the same abilities. Plus, the only time anyone saw the gold fighter, he was wearing the same thing as Gohan. As for his hair, those guys in the Cell games could go blonde, so maybe Gohan can too."

His eye twitched at the mention of super saiyan. _This earth woman is smarter than I gave her credit for._

"He only shows up on weekdays, he didn't show up on the bank holiday or teacher training days, despite major crimes happening on those days, and those just happen to be the days that school is closed. And remember all those times I would get called out in the middle of class, then Gohan would go to the bathroom and we would get back to class at roughly the same time. Not to mention they're the same height and their voices sound kinda similar."

Tai was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure whether to be impressed by Videl's deductive reasoning or annoyed at Gohan's carelessness.

He thought to the conversation he just listened to. He remembered her spouting off her theories but didn't take her too seriously, it was only when she laid it all out for her Erasa that he realised his error in underestimating her.

" _Idiot_ ," he whispered, unsure of whether he was referring to himself or Gohan.

-X-

It was gym class; the last period of the day and the class was stoked. The excitement had been building for weeks since it was announced they would be doing martial arts. However, that wasn't what excited them, what did was the guest instructor. The men's changing room was filled with suggestions, most thought it would be Hercule, the saviour of the planet, vanquisher of Cell. They'd pressed Videl on the issue, but she knew nothing about it.

While they pondered the mystery instructor, Tai was talking to Gohan about Mr Moore's attitude to Gohan. "What did you do to him?"

"I don't know?"

"Well you did something, because he only acts like that when you're around."

"He's had it in for me for a while."

"When did it start?"

"When he saw me eating on the roof. He saw my lunch containers and assumed other people were with me."

"Were there?"

"No, it was just me."

Tai scratched his chin pensively, trying to think of what Gohan did so wrong. He knew Gohan could be naïve when it came to ordinary people. From what Tai had observed, earthlings were the same as the aliens he'd been around growing up, so they were predictable in terms of greed, envy, wrath and gluttony etc. He put a hand over Gohans forehead and looked at the memory, which was easy since Gohan had just thought of it.

"What are you doing?"

"What Kakarot did to Krillin when he first arrived on Namek."

Gohan wasn't sure when Tai had learned it, hell he wasn't even sure when his dad had learned it. "Did you see anything?"

"I've seen that look before. Cui had the same look when I caught him stealing food from Zarbon. He was doing something wrong himself when he saw you. Since you had your back to him, I couldn't see what it was."

"So, we should check out the roof during lunch and see what he did wrong."

"Sounds like a plan."

-X-

The class gathered inside the gymnastics hall, waiting for their new instructor. Sharpener was using his boxing skills to impress the girls, while other boys did their best to look cool. Tai leaned against the wall with his arms folded, with Gohan standing behind him. The class stood at attention upon hearing Mr Fields' whistle.

He walked into the room with the new teacher in tow. There was a collective ogling of the newcomer for different reasons. The boys celebrated internally, with a few barely concealed smirks, with Gohan's jaw firmly planted on the ground. The woman who followed didn't let the attention phase her. Her tranquil, blue eyes scanned the class as she flicked a stray blonde hair from her vision.

Tai felt an air of familiarity when he looked at the woman, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Boys and girls, today we start martial arts training and your new instructor is..."

"18."

A light bulb lit inside Tai's mind, he remembered who she was, and he had lots of questions for his friend about why no one destroyed her after Cell spit her out.

"That's a number," Biro scoffed derisively.

"It's my name, what's yours?"

"Biro,"

It was 18s turn to scoff, "You give me crap about my name when your named after a pen," she retorted. Videl didn't even attempt to hide her smirk and Erasa snorted to prevent herself from chortling.

"I think we've gone a little off track," Mr Fields sweat dropped. He didn't want to irk Biro, and he was going to have a private conversation with 18 to explain why she should tread carefully around that one.

"I'm going to teach you all how to fight. Does anyone have a problem with that?" she said the last part with daggers in her eyes, almost inviting a challenge.

Tai finally managed to set up a link with Gohan and immediately began his interrogation. " _Gohan, what's happening? Why is she still alive?_ "

" _Relax, she's not a threat to the Earth. After we beat Cell, she… started dating Krillin._ "

" _WHAT! He does know he's dating a toaster right. Then again cue ball was desperate enough to entertain that blue haired woman._ "

" _First, 18 is human, Gero just added some robot parts. Second, I remember that you had a crush on Maron_."

" _Don't be ridiculous. I could never be attracted to an earthling_."

" _You could've fooled me, the way you blushed and looked at her like she was food_."

"Hey love birds, snap out of it she's almost here," Erasa mocked with a wink. The confused look on the saiyans faces only made her giggle. She was right since 18 was mere meters away.

" _That one is strange_ " Tai thought, looking at the giggling Erasa.

"We have to partner up and do some stretches," she said before walking over to Sharpener.

18's was looking at the pairs of martial artists, looking at stances and telling them on how to improve. Some pretended to take her advice seriously, before returning to their previous stances that they learned in Hercule's gym,

Gohan was curious about why 18 was working in the school. He knew that Krillin had moved his family here, so it would be easier to support them, Kame house can only support so many people. But he assumed that 18 would be at home taking care of Maron. _There's no way that Master Roshi would leave the island after so many years living there and I doubt they would leave Oolong in charge._

Tai however was plotting a way out of his predicament. He was still trying to remain anonymous on this planet and 18 was a threat to that _. She'll probably tell Cueball, and he's an idiot. He can't even keep his own secrets let alone someone elses._

"Tai, before you start panicking, remember she's never seen you."

He glared at Gohan, annoyed that he was so obvious that others could tell what he thought. "Gero's bugs followed you to Namek, so she would have to know about me."

"Yeah, but that was from when you were 6, so any images of you must be from then too, and remember those bugs were for Cell not 17 or 18, and Krillin killed the present Cell. Also, you were with me carrying Bulma to West City when they fought Vegeta, Tien, Piccolo and Trunks. And the only reason you've even seen her is because…"

"Yeah I know…" Tai interrupted. He fought sternly to prevent the sliver of guilt in his stomach from growing. He remembered being there when Cell spit 18 out, and what happened afterwards. Piccolo explained everything to him on the lookout.

"My ears are burning," 18 surprised the two and they jumped apart. "Are you two talking about me."

Tai eyed her apprehensively. _I didn't sense her coming, what the… she's an Android._ He mentally berated himself for forgetting such details.

Gohan's eye was twitching and he rubbed the back of his head "N-no of course not ma'am."

"Cut the crap Gohan, you're a horrible liar," she jabbed. Gohan mentally face palmed. _Well I can't act like we just met now._

A certain pigtailed teenager heard Gohan's name and she focused on the trio. "Krillin told me I might see you today. I didn't think you'd end up in my class."

"I'm more surprised that you took a job, especially one as a teacher," Gohan laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I've always wanted to teach," she replied deadpan.

"I didn't think a washing machine could dream," Tai mumbled under his breath.

It wasn't half a second later that Tai was blocking a punch from 18, with a strong gust of wind coming from her fist. "Hn, you're not like the rest."

 _Damnit, I didn't think she'd hear me speaking so quietly, and the force she used would have ripped these weaklings arms off. She knows something._ "You're right about that."

18 looked to Gohan, who was sweating bullets because he just knew that Videl would have a field day with this. "You're weird kid. Who are you?"

"None of your business."

She frowned at his dismissiveness but chose to ignore it. Gohan, part sensing the tension between the saiyan and the android, and part wanting to avoid Videl needed to get out of there.

He made up an illness and asked for Tai to take him to the nurse's office, but 18 had one final card to play.

"You should come and visit us sometime Gohan. Marron misses you and Goten" she smirked, giving Videl a quick glance. _She's an interesting one and can make Gohan squirm._

"Don't invite anyone else, we can barely handle two Saiyans at a time.". _And Krillin thought I'd be bored here. Torturing Gohan is kinda fun and that girl is the perfect instrument for it. And when I'm not doing that I might as well try and figure out his friend. He seems interesting._


	6. Then stop trying to talk to me

"Your food is flying everywhere," Tai snapped at Gohan, who reacted with his typical Son grin.

They sat on top of the little hut that was built around the roofs entrance, waiting to see if Mr Moore would show up or not. Being Saiyans, they would never skip lunch. His stomach was what distracted Gohan and led to this situation in the first place. Tai sighed.

"We need to talk," Tai said.

"About what?"

"You're weak."

The bluntness of the statement took Gohan back. "I know I haven't been training for the last-"

"Not just that, but you're also stupid and negligent."

Gohan's fist clenched at the insults being hurtled by the Saiyan in front of him. He was used to it from Vegeta, in fact, that's what he expected. Tai, however, was his friend, one who he had been patient with back when he first arrived on earth, and even more so now.

Tai hadn't shared much about his return with him or even what he had been doing for the past 7 years, something Gohan was okay with for now. However, Tai had gotten worse and more Vegeta like. He was more impatient, rude, dismissive, arrogant and refused to interact with anyone outside of Dende or himself.

He grabbed Tai by his shoulder, then lifted him into the air, "What are you going to do now?" Tai asked. "Punch me. Go ahead," Kai challenged, dropping his guard completely

Gohan charged a ki blast, preparing to throw it into Tai's chest, but thought better of it. Words usually didn't get to Gohan, and he wasn't going to allow Tai to make him angry.

"I'll give you that I'm weaker than I was in the Cell Games, but I know I'm not stupid?"

"You went into this superhero business half-cocked, and you didn't think it through. You claim you want to keep it a secret, but you haven't done much to do that."

"I wear a disguise and act differently. I even do those poses," Gohan defended.

"Then why do Videl and the blonde think your Saiyaman," he almost shouted.

"Videl has been suspicious of me since the beginning. The timing of Saiyaman and me showing up couldn't be helped, I'm not going to stand by while people get hurt. And Erasa is her best friend, so of course Videl could convince her."

"We wouldn't be having this conversation if it was just suspicion."

"Then does she have proof?"

"No, but the next time Videl talks to you, she's going to have questions for you that you can't answer. Unless you want her to find you out, you'd have to lie, and we both know how bad you are at that."

"How do you know this?"

"Because I've overheard her."

"Questions like what?"

"How come Saiyaman only shows up before and after school? Why does he show up when the Chief calls her whenever she's in your class, but when she's not in your class he's nowhere to be seen? How come now that her leg is hurt, and the Chief stopped paging her, Saiyaman has stopped helping during school hours? Why does he only show up on school days, the only days you're in the city? Where was he on the training day even though the city was filled with crime? A day when you weren't in the city."

Gohan's face slowly changed to one of horror, as Tai rattled off the questions that Videl had. He found it odd that she had been easy on him the past few weeks. She was building a case against me. Who does that to someone they don't know?

"And those are just the ones I heard. She probably has more, what were you going to do when she did ask these questions?"

"I don't know."

Tai's eyes shot open suddenly, making Gohan a little nervous. Seconds later another being materialised in front of them, and it looked exactly like Tai from head to toe. "He's on his way now, and he's with a red-haired human woman."

"Good," Tai acknowledged before putting his hand on the other Tai's chest. The clone began to glow a bright white before being absorbed into Tai.

"Tien's multiform technique. We'll talk this through later," Tai explained before the pair took off into the air. They got far enough that they couldn't be seen and concentrated their ki into their eyes to improve their vision.

The excursion turned out to be a waste of time, it was just Mr Moore and Mrs Laplace smoking on the roof. Nothing incriminating or worth harassing Gohan over.

-X-

The next day

Hercule City wasn't lively that morning, the rain could take the credit for that. It pounded against the screen of the roof that Tai was using for shelter. It was his free period, and the last thing he wanted to do was spend any more time with teenagers. Their problems are all so small, and they make them out to be the end of the world. He hadn't spent time in the city outside of the incident, and that time Erasa kicked him.

He walked through the same street where the convenience store was but was distracted by the litany of flowers that lined the street. Some had wilted and died, but most were new, vibrant and colourful. Opposite to the shop was a graffiti spray painting of an old man. That's the old man who tried to stop me from eating. Why would someone put that up?

The image of him bought a small smile to Tai's softened features, remembering what had happened the day they met and the words he spoke to him. There aren't many earthlings like him around.

In his trance, he failed to notice the small power level that approached. Erasa wordlessly walked past Tai and placed her bouquet of flowers in front of the shop on top of some that had died. He half expected her to ask him an arbitrary question or look at him curiously. But she didn't. She just stood in front of the store solemnly.

"Hey Erasa-" someone shouted from across the road, but she didn't take her eyes off the store, and her intensity never wavered. Tai took the opportunity to observe her features. Short, blonde, blue eyes, athletic frame, ridiculous shoes that you can't run or fight in and revealing clothing. Just like your typical teenage girl.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," she teased with a wink.

Tai shook his head slightly to bring him back into reality. In his trance, he also failed to notice that Erasa's umbrella had stopped the rain from soaking his clothes. She stood on the tips of her toes and struggled to find a comfortable position to keep herself in.

What does she want? Tai scoffed before walking away from the bubbly blonde. Whatever she was trying to do I don't want anything to do with it. The further away from her, the better off I am.

"What is your problem!?" she stormed up to Tai, who himself didn't stop walking away. He was only halted when she stepped directly in front of him.

"Move!"

"No way. Not until you tell me what your deal is. I've tried to be nice to you, and all you've ever been is rude."

"Then stop trying to talk to me."

"The only reason I'm talking to you is so you'll answer my question. Once you answer it, then I'll be out of your hair."

"Then out with it."

"How did you know my grandfather. The man who's in the mural."

So that was her game. She just wanted to know my connection to the old man. "I only met him once. I didn't have any money, and I was hungry, so he let me have some food." It's only part of the truth, but it will do. Explaining the whole day's events would be problematic.

"That sounds like him. He couldn't turn away the needy."

"I never said I was needy."

"Well it sure sounded like it," she teased with a smile, one that soon faded at remembering something. "Grandpa was killed by an armed robber. He shot my grandad then fled the scene. He's even the guy that hurt Videl's leg."

Tai looked at her wearing a vacant expression. He knew the old man was dead, but he never found out how he died. Tai figured it was from all the excitement and his heart just gave out, but he was wrong. The fact he was shot alerted him to one truth. Tai had nothing to do with his death.

"The worst part is that the creep got away with all of it and the Red Shark Gang have everyone scared stiff, so no one's giving any information. He got away with murder, and he's still out there. My grandad's killer is still on the loose."

"Knowing who the killer is doesn't always help," the Saiyan said looking at the ground.

"What?"

"Knowing who killed your grandfather doesn't mean you'll have peace of mind. It could just make you angrier. Especially when you know there's nothing you can do to the killer."

He clenched his calloused fists while his normally black eyes eyes slowly turned a light teal. Images of a crying boy, desperately clinging to his father's corpse with a single hole through the heart flooded his mind. As did the cruel laughter that echoed in the ships CIC. _I was such a coward. I should've fought until my dying breath._

The sight of her gaping mouth was enough to make Tai return to his usual bored demeanour. "Forget it," he began to walk away but was stopped by a gentle hand tugging at his wrist. "What do you want?"

"I don't know what to say, but I feel like I should say something."

"Why?"

"You just looked like you were in so much pain, and I wanted to help."

The sentiment wasn't new to him, in fact, it was often repeated by Bulma when he was on Earth waiting for Goku to return. Whenever she wasn't angry at him, she would try and make him feel more at home and try to ease him out of his nightmare stage. Being raised under Frieza's rule left him plenty of scars, and not all were physical. His face contorted, recalling his time with the Ginyu force, as well as his training sessions with Dodoria. They treated him like a punching bag, with their relentless assaults, they snapped his bones and crushed his organs. Whenever they were done, they would just throw him into the healing chamber, and the cycle would start again.

Tai couldn't help but grimace while grabbing his rib cage, grateful that it wasn't crushed.

She cupped his chin gently, her palms felt like satin sheets gliding over his cheeks, slowly melting away his anguish.

With his other hand, Tai slapped her soothing touch away. He held back enough that she wouldn't be hurt. "Stay away from me," he snarled.

-X-

Tai stood on top of the tallest skyscraper in the city, the telecast building, where Cell announced the Cell Games observing the cities inhabitants. The cold air was refreshing compared to the stale air he had to share with the school's inhabitants. He had a hard time getting Erasa out of his head after what she had done. _Her… palm was gentle… and warm. Stupid Woman. Get out of my thoughts._

He spread his arms causing his wrist to become exposed. The watch he wore stuck out like a glowstick in the dark, making his eye to twitch uncontrollably. _Of all the stupid ideas he could've come up with._

 _#flashback# 1 hour earlier_

 _"Tai, I've been thinking about what you said yesterday about Videl. And I have an idea."_

 _"Okay what is it?"_

 _"Videl is convinced that I'm Saiyaman and she's got enough info to corner me."_

 _"I already know that, I'm the one who told you about it."_

 _"Well I thought about how I could disprove all of her potential questions then it hit me. What if she heard news about Saiyaman defending the innocent while I'm with her, or even better if she sees me speaking to him."_

 _"I don't like where you're going with this Gohan."_

 _"Come on."_

 _"No."_

 _"I'll give you my voice modulator."_

 _"No."_

 _"You can use the multiform technique, so she won't suspect you either."_

 _"No."_

 _"You only have to do a few poses."_

 _"No."_

 _"Come on."_

 _"No."_

 _"Come on."_

 _"No."_

 _"Come on."_

 _"No."_

 _#back to the present_

How the hell did I end up agreeing to do this? Parading around in this ridiculous get-up fighting crime like those dumb superheroes they put on the billboards. This couldn't be more humiliating.

He pushed the button and the Great Saiyaman's attire materialised on his body. _I stand corrected. He enjoys parading around in a cape as if it's not ridiculous._


	7. You're in my spot

The switcheroo had managed to placate Videl but very briefly. Her speaking to Gohan when Saiyaman was in action had thrown her and she didn't bother Gohan for a few days. Instead her attention was turned to Tai. Despite the pure blooded saiyans derisive attitude toward her, she continued to pester him. Just as she was doing at that very moment. School had just finished, so Tai and Gohan walked to the roof. To avoid suspicion they had the conversation telepathically.

"This would all be solved if I vaporised her," Tai huffed.

"Come on don't be like that," Gohan smiled.

"Shut up, this is all your fault."

"No it isn't."

"Yeah it is."

"How?"

"... It just is,"

"It's not so fun when you're the one squirming now is it?" Gohan smirked.

"No earthling can make me squirm."

"Maron," the response made Tai punch Gohan's arm.

"She's seen me speak to Saiyaman, so why is she on my tail? Unlike you I've given her no reason to suspect me of anything."

"You mean besides your freakish athleticism, and strength. 18's punch caused a minor storm and you brushed it off like it was nothing. That sorta thing probably put you on her radar."

"Them being weak shouldn't make me a suspect. Maybe if they didn't foolishly abandon ki they..."

"Yes but they didn't Tai," Gohan interrupted, "Aren't you the one who always tells me to get a grip and accept reality. You should take your own advice."

Tai could only mutter curses under his breath, since he knew Gohan had a point. In reality losing Videl wasn't going to be difficult. All they had to do was walk into the rush of students leaving school, and getting intentionally lost in the shuffle. But even going to such lengths annoyed Tai.

* * *

 _The next day_

"Bye Erasa."

"Bye, cutie," she said before kissing her little brother on the cheek. The little boy ran past the primary school fountain toward his friends. She couldn't help but smile at her rapidly growing little brother. "He's growing up so fast."

Memories of her playing with her baby brother flooded her mind, clouding her sight. She was so lost in her own mind that she didn't notice that she was headed toward an open road. She snapped to reality when her foot couldn't feel anticipated ground, realising that she had just stepped over the curb. The blonde resigned herself to falling into the street until she was suddenly jerked backwards. Proceeded by a car whizzing right past her her head would have been.

She looked up toward what had stopped her fall and was surprised to see it was the Great Saiyaman. "Thanks Saiyaman, I was a gonner."

"Do you have a death wish?" Saiyaman grunted.

Erasa cocked an eyebrow looking at the super hero. _I don't think that Saiyaman is this tanned._ Once Saiyaman felt she had her bearings he let her go. "Watch where you're going or you'll be splattered on the street," he warned before taking off. _He definitely wasn't this grumpy either._

The rest of her journey was uneventful, and since she had to drop her brother off, she was the first person in homeroom. To her surprise Videl was there and she was chatting with Gohan. They were sat far from the entrance so they didn't notice her arrival. Videl was asking about some physics problem that had been bothering her and he was explaining it to her.

I decided to sit away from them and let them have their moment. Videl was scooting closer to Gohan so she could understand what he was saying better and Gohan to his credit didn't seem to mind. Even when she was leaning against him, she crime fighter even looked comfortable, instead of apprehensive or annoyed like she would be with Sharpener. _Good for you Vi, maybe if you don't act like such a crazy stalker he'll ask you out._

Once again, lost in her own world where her best friend married the spiky haired teen and they were happy together she didn't notice the door behind her open. What she did notice was the familiar smell of her perfume breeze past her. The same perfume that she made with ingredients from the sacred land of Korin. She looked to see who it was that had that scent and was surprised to see Tai.

Erasa's head was spinning, putting the pieces together as to why he would smell like a perfume she makes herself. _I thought that Gohan was Saiyaman and he flew hear after I met him on his patrol. I'm 90% sure that he is Saiyaman, that's why I covered him in my perfume. But Tai has that scent now. What is going on?_

* * *

The hallways were a flush with brand new faces, some were too young to be students and a lot were definitely too old. Upon seeing this Tai had opted to remain in his classroom until the hustle and bustle died down. Videl, Gohan and Erasa had stayed behind as well for the same reasons, but the blonde once again left them to their own devices and sat away from them and Tai. _Good she's learning. Finally an earth woman with something between her ears._

Meanwhile, Videl was busy venting to Gohan about her father while the demi-saiyan listened intently. "It's like all he does is look for the next notch on his bedpost. I mean they've been split up for 2 years now but at least have some respect for the room he shared with my mum," she ranted.

"Sounds rough, I couldn't imagine my dad being with another woman."

"I just realised I don't know anything about your family. What does your dad do?"

The question caught Tai's attention, a mild pain tapped in his chest at the memory of Goku. _Kakarot did the universe the greatest service that anyone could have done. Well he started the process. Trunks finished it. But Kakarot showed that Frieza wasn't invincible and he could be defeated. He helped train mewhen the androids were coming and he even taught me whatever techniques I desired... he was an unbearably soft Saiyan._

Gohan didn't do as good a job at hiding his hurt so Videl was able to catch on the situation. Not willing to allow the awkardness to fester, Tai interjected. "Why are there so many old people and children around?"

This let Videl release the breath she had been holding in unconsciously. "It's careers day at the school. Some of them had to bring their kids since they couldn't find someone to watch them."

Tai's gaze fell upon Gohan who himself just shrugged. "How come we weren't told?"

"If either of you showed up on time you would have heard the announcements," Videl chastised earning a glare from Tai.

"Is your father coming?" Gohan inquired.

"Yeah, actually that's why there's such a fuss outside. Dad told me he just pulled up outside."

Tai grunted nonchalantly at the information. "Classes can't be running with all of this commotion."

"That's right, we're done for the day. This thing is mainly for seniors anyway, we don't need to be here."

Tai's senses rose to action at the sensation of a higher power level. It was rapidly moving in his direction but he didn't know why. It came from the crowd so it was unlikely to be malicious, if it was then it would be tearing apart the crowd and screams would ring through the hallway. _Whoever they are they probably know Gohan. Best make a speedy exit._

He picked his bag up and waited beside the door for the mystery person to show up. The closer the person got, the more in focus their power became, and Tai noticed that they were being followed by another weak power level. One that Tai could not recognise. The door burst open with a black haired blur heading straight for Gohan with a brunette labouring behind.

"K-Kakarot?" Tai uttered. _So this is the little brother he spoke of. It's pathetic that Chi-Chi would shape his hair to look like Kakarot. 7 years and she still hasn't gotten a grip._

"Gohan!" Goten cheered while running into Gohan's embrace.

"Lime, Goten what are you guys doing here?"

"We're here to see you dummy," Lime said while pulling Gohan in for a hug of her own. Upon noticing the vein threatening to pop out of Videl's forehead, Lime smiled and let Gohan go and introduced herself.

Tai rushed out of the room before they noticed him. He snaked his way out of the room only to bump into another kid that trying to enter the room. The child's power level was also significantly higher than other humans. "Hey watch where you're going," he snapped while rubbing his head.

Tai's eyes grew to the size of the grand canyon when he saw the child's face. _Trunks? But he's an adult. No I remember seeing him as an infant. If Kakarot's and Vegeta's offspring are here, then..._

The saiyan didn't have to wait long for one of his fears to be confirmed. It was brief but he spotted the features of Capsule Corps president in the centre of the crowd. Her cobalt hair, short frame and undeniable air of authority was there on display. A built in Tai's throat, preventing him from groaning.

"Get out of the way you jerk," Trunks said trying to push Tai out of the way, annoyed that there was someone as physically strong as he was. Tai not really paying attention simply moved out of the way. He was too absorbed in his predicament. _I cannot be seen or found, especially not by her._

* * *

Tai had telepathically told Gohan to keep his name out of any conversations. The demi-saiyan managed to get Goten and Trunks out of the room as quickly as possible, and even spoke to Bulma in the hallway. Should anyone have used his full name, Bulma would have immediately recognised it as saiyan which would have been a problem. Tai for his part kept his power level very low so Goten and Trunks wouldn't seek him out, but this significantly reduced his mobility. Consequently he had to hide underneath the bleachers until everything blew over. _This is humiliating. Me a powerful saiyan warrior having to hide from mortals. have masked their power levels so I can't use instant transmission. Probably payback for destroying the Lookout._

He breathed a sigh of relief when he sensed Gohan flying away to fight crime as Saiyaman with the two kids following and Videl lagged far behind. He was certain Erasa wouldn't mention his name to Bulma. The blonde received the hint loud and clear after their last confrontation, she didn't speak to him, and outside of the events in the morning, he didn't interact with her.

Tai looked around to see if there was anything for him to do when he spotted a blonde, little girl standing by the bleachers staring at him.

"What do you want kid?"

"Hey mister, can you get my ball?"

"Get lost!" Tai growled, _she'll bring her parents here if she stays too long_.

She folded her arms defiantly, "You're mean."

"You're annoying." Tai responded to which she poked her tongue out at him.

"I'm gonna tell my daddy on you."

"I'm shaking in my boots."

"He's a policeman and he's super strong. He'll kick your butt."

She spun on her heel and began running toward the crowd. It was only when he saw her profile he noticed that she didn't have a nose. _Isn't Cueball a police officer?_ "Hey kid is your dad bald?"

"No he has really puffy hair"

 _False alarm, good._ "Hn, buzz off."

"I'll get my mummy to do beat you up too, and uncle Yamcha and uncle Oolong too. He'll transform into a giant bat and hit you."

The mention of the former desert bandit and the shape shifting pig made Tai's hair stand up on end. _The midget had a kid and with the Microwave of all people. Not to mention Scarface and the Pig are here too. Since when did any of them have jobs? It would be prudent to sense out any familiar power levels in the city or headed towards it... Gohan, Trunks, Goten, Bulma, Scarface, Pig ... crap looks like Cueball is here so I can assume he's with the Refrigerator. Plus Triclops and his Ventriloquist dummy are on their way as well. I can't have any of them search for me or else I'll be discovered._

"If I get you you're damn ball will you leave me alone? And promise not to tell anyone."

She nodded with a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. She pointed to the roof of a near by building. Upon retrieving the ball Tai gave it back to the little girl before shooing her away.

"Bye mister!"

Now painfully aware of the predicament he was in Tai hid back under the bleachers to reflect on the day. _I can't use instant transmission to Gohan because he's still with his brother, Trunks and Videl. Piccolo and Dende are masking their energy signatures so I can't go to them. Chichi, Vegeta and the Old Pervert would spot me if I were to use instant transmission so I'm effectively trapped within the city. Flying would raise me energy signature and alert people, and if I move too fast someone will investigate. Best to lay low in here until everyone goes home. Whenever that is._

Tai not one to waste such an opportunity decided to get some training done. Images of his master came to mind as he began to battle him. Even in his wildest imagination he doesn't stand a chance against the man. He isn't even able to land a hit or come close, and his master wasn't breaking a sweat.

The day was passing quickly much to the Saiyans pleasure. The sky dirtied into a brown orange and brilliant yellow, and people were starting to leave. _Maybe this won't be as difficult as I thought._

"Oh great!" a female voice scoffed upon seeing Tai.

Tai again chastised himself for not being aware of those around him before addressing Erasa. "Buzz off."

"You're in my spot."

"I don't see your name on it."

Erasa strolled over to where Tai sat and pointed to the writing etched on the metal support, it was a love heart with Erasa's name clear as a cloudless sky, and another name crossed out. "See there it is now leave," she asserted.

Tai took in her posture, the scowl carved onto her face, arms folded tightly over her chest and foot tapping vociferously on the ground. "Hn," Tai responded before returning to his meditative pose.

"Taikon, get up and leave."

Tai stood up and towered over her "Don't use my name."

"You don't listen to me but expect me to listen to you."

"My name is a right that neither you or anyone alive has. You will address me as Tai."

Erasa jabbed her finger into Tai's chest, not breaking eye contact him "And you will leave my spot. I've tried being nice to you but you are impossible. It's like you were raised by rabid wolves. And I am sick of your attitude. So just get out of here and leave me alone."

"You know nothing about my upbringing. You'd be wise never to bring it up again," Tai growled.

"And you know nothing about me. So if you think you're going to tell me what to do you have another thing coming."

"Oh please! You don't even know yourself."

"What!"

"You go around acting like this dumb, blonde ditz but your grades are almost as good as mine. You also pretend to be slow when you are quick. I've seen people like you before and I know they are never to be trusted."

"The teachers know I'm smart and my friends know I'm athletic. And why are you watching me."

"I'm observant, I know that Pencilcase wants you, I know that Marker is taking steroids, Biro is obsessed with Videl and she uses recreational drugs."

She raised her brow "You watch all of us?"

"You're all uninteresting, but still more interesting than what these people call education. Everyone is a liar and no one is to be trusted."

"Except for Gohan?"

"He's not hiding anything from me. He has his secrets from everyone else but he has his reasons."

"And you?"

"I have my secrets and because of that I can't be trusted."

Erasa's head tilted to the side, taking in Tai's expression of seriousness and his constant eye contact she realised he was being honest. "Tai, do you trust anyone?"

"I trust 2 people and 1 is dead, the other is Gohan."

The blondes body language softened considerably at the saiyan's logic. It was alien to her, she could see how such absolutism could help mould someone like Tai. However, at the same time she could see so many flaws with it. "But Tai, you yourself said that Gohan has secrets from everyone else and he has his reasons. Shouldn't you give everyone else the same benefit of the doubt. I have my secrets but to me, the reasons are good."

A frown briefly tugged at the corner of his lip at the response. He turned his head away from her "I... never considered that."

Erasa could just about make out the red outline that stained his cheeks with his head turned away from her. At some point during the exchange Erasa had set herself on the ground near Tai and neither noticed.

"Things aren't always so black and white. Some secrets are necessary and some are pointless and most lie in between," she playfully punched his arm.

That action brought Tai back in touch with his surroundings, and he realised the closeness between them. "Why are you this close to me."

"Why are you still in my spot?" she wriggled her eyebrows, wearing a knowing smirk. Looking at her then brought a sharp pain in his chest that disappeared as quickly as it came. Tai hadn't taken much stock of her face since meeting her, and it just dawned on him how attractive she was. Her sulphur blue eyes, petit nose, shaply lips, lightly defined cheekbones and every other inch of her face were being absorbed. _My heart is beating faster... why?_

"You know this isn't the first time I've caught you staring at my face," her smirk turned into a stunning grin and Tai's heart continued to race at her mere presence.

"Fine, you can have this spot," Tai rushed, getting up to leave. _Only Cueball and the Blender are still in the city, I should be able to move freely now._

Erasa's grin dimmed slightly but she caught herself, "Great now get lost," she ordered, causing a vein to pop out of Tai's forehead but he thought better of it.

 _Maybe now my heart will stop racing._ The pair thought at the same time.


End file.
